foundational

adjective

foun·​da·​tion·​al fau̇n-ˈdā-shnəl 

-shə-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

What kind of near-term and medium-term growth prospects does Alphabet’s management foresee for the company’s foundational search business? —Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024

How did Netflix build recommendation algorithms? Gabriela: So tell me about the second foundational algorithm. —Quartz Staff, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024

The American Association of University Professors sketched out this foundational professional norm in 1915. —Michael S. Roth, TIME, 23 Apr. 2024

While the software uses most of the same foundational code for every customer, small adjustments to the connectors and the parsing can be customized to fit a variety of use cases. —Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024

There is nothing unpatriotic or disloyal about understanding another people’s history and its foundational narratives. —Ziad Asali, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2024

Budgeting Budgeting is one of the most foundational financial topics of personal finance. —Ryan Steitz, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024

Some who knew Mister Cee have already turned to social media to tribute the foundational DJ. —Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024

Dorsey’s actions took the couple – who enjoyed riding Harley Davidson motorcycles and camping, according to their obituaries – from their young daughter, who grew up without her parents at foundational moments of her life. —Dakin Andone, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined above