foundational

adjective

foun·​da·​tion·​al fau̇n-ˈdā-sh(ə-)nəl 

: of, relating to, or forming or serving as a base or foundation : fundamental

foundational principles/doctrines

These foundational volumes proved to be, each in its own way, enabling gestures for the growth of sophisticated theories and critical practices in African, Caribbean, and African American literatures.

—Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Property was, in a sense, foundational to culture, since English political economy rested on the private ownership of land, and the political economy, in turn, largely structured social relations.

—Jill Lepore

Philosophy is a foundational discipline. Not only does it do the spadework that makes the construction of other disciplines possible; it also pays constant attention to the foundations of those disciplines as they are practiced.

—Cognitive Science

foundationally adverb

Examples of foundational in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These asset managers view crypto as the foundational infrastructure for a new class of applications. —Budd White, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

Given the significant investments required to develop foundational AI models, partnering with tech companies may be a more reasonable solution vs building internally. —Sunny Dhillon, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2025

Higher intelligence Simulation theory implies there is a greater intelligence than our own that exists beyond the physical world and may have created our universe – echoing foundational beliefs in many religious traditions. —Rizwan Virk, The Conversation, 13 Nov. 2025

Making chew toys of their divisional foes over most of the last decade was about more than just a foundational path to the postseason. —Kansas City Star, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for foundational

• formational
• gestational
• gradational
• locational
• mutational
• nonrational
• notational
• relational
• rotational
• sensational
• translational
• vibrational