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

With foundational model inference costs coming down and edge computing enabling real-time on-device intelligence, the infrastructure is in place. — Pranjal Saxena, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Stewart, the New York Liberty’s 32-year-old star, will be on this roster as the most experienced Olympian — going for her fourth Olympic gold — and as Team USA’s clutch, unflappable foundational player. — Chantel Jennings, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

But the company said its silicon systems for foundational models will reduce the energy needs and costs of AI data center infrastructure, which is seeing a funding boom. — Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

Both were eras of political fragmentation, and the centuries between 770 and 221 bce produced many of the foundational texts of Chinese philosophy and some of the most prominent figures in Chinese intellectual history. — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for foundational

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