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

The presentation emphasized that these artists are not peripheral but foundational to American art history, a point Lampkins-Fielder was determined to make clear. —Okla Jones, Essence, 29 Sep. 2025

Engineers have expressed that the foundational humanoid motion tracker is expected to be able to track diverse, highly dynamic, and contact-rich motions. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025

The title is foundational to the image Robinson projects of being an entrepreneur of sound social standing. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025

It was filed as the White House has taken steps to exert influence in unprecedented ways on the department, blurring the line between law and politics at an agency where independence in prosecutorial decision-making is a foundational principle. —Eric Tucker, Twin Cities, 25 Sep. 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