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
People Are Reading
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
-
This rudimentary study of outer space is part of a five-day NASA Space Academy for children ages 6 to 11.
-
Since those rudimentary beginnings, Mori has consistently tweaked her sound and evolved her approach.
-
If Galileo was able to discover the planet's moons in 1610 with rudimentary technology, there's no reason why a Game Boy couldn't deliver the same results.
-
In a parallel universe, one in which the American president had a rudimentary grasp of Russian history and statecraft and an appreciation for diplomacy, this would be a short meeting—five minutes tops.
-
The site stresses that these are rudimentary, unoptimized ports that don't make use of any new hardware effects on the Xbox One X, nor do these ports account for changes like the move from a fast ESRAM cache to slower GDDR5.
-
His secretary began to hold rudimentary press briefings.
-
Richards is a good rebounder who learned the game late and has developed some rudimentary post skills.
-
Amid continued unease from a divisive presidential election, and ongoing debate about partisan issues such as immigration and health care, people across the country have turned to a somewhat rudimentary medium to express their fundamental beliefs.
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
-
: basic or simple
-
: 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
Learn More about rudimentary
-
See words that rhyme with rudimentary Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rudimentary Spanish Central: Translation of rudimentary Nglish: Translation of rudimentary for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of rudimentary for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up rudimentary? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!