Definition of rudimentary
1 : consisting in first principles : fundamental had only a rudimentary formal education — D. J. Boorstin
2 : of a primitive kind the equipment of these past empire-builders was rudimentary — A. J. Toynbee
3 : very imperfectly developed or represented only by a vestige the rudimentary tail of a hyrax
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Examples of rudimentary in a Sentence
Because now, every schlemiel with a pair of mirrored sunglasses and a rudimentary grasp of the rules of poker thinks he can play cards with the pros. —A. J. Jacobs, New York Times Book Review, 8 May 2005
Despite the rudimentary nature of its instruments—an octant, a chronometer and a level—the Lewis and Clark Expedition was a triumph for science and natural history. —Daniel J. Boorstin, U.S. News & World Report, 11 July 1994
A few were hopeless imbeciles, unable to comprehend more than the rudimentary requirements of filling their bellies when food was placed before them … —Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Monster Men, 1929
It appears as if the posterior molar or wisdom-teeth were tending to become rudimentary in the more civilised races of man. —Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man, 1871
This class requires a rudimentary knowledge of human anatomy.
When baseball was in its rudimentary stages, different teams played by different rules.
Some insects have only rudimentary wings.
Recent Examples of rudimentary from the Web
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A start-up backed by Japanese automaker Toyota revealed a rudimentary prototype of a flying car, aiming to whisk a driver through the air to light the Olympic torch in Tokyo in summer 2020.
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Upon entry to Volcano Bay, everyone is given a waterproof wearable device that looks a little like a rudimentary Apple Watch.
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Roach learned rudimentary welding and was first hired by Eastern that year as a cleaner and to play on its baseball team.
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Hana Sooyeon Kim’s scenic design, a rudimentary-looking house with two levels and sliding panels to distinguish the rooms, is one of the few weaknesses of the production.
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Mac OS X already has a fairly rudimentary voice control system built in, but Siri’s artificial intelligence could take that to the next level.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rudimentary'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of rudimentary
see rudiment
RUDIMENTARY Defined for English Language Learners
rudimentary
playDefinition of rudimentary for English Language Learners
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: basic or simple
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: not very developed or advanced
RUDIMENTARY Defined for Kids
rudimentary
playDefinition of rudimentary for Students
1 : elementary, simple He has only rudimentary knowledge of math.
2 : not fully developed rudimentary wings
Medical Dictionary
rudimentary
playMedical Definition of rudimentary
: very imperfectly developed or represented only by a vestige
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