rudimentary

adjective

ru·di·men·ta·ry | \ ˌrü-də-ˈmen-tə-rē

, -ˈmen-trē\

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

Other Words from rudimentary Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about rudimentary

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Other Words from rudimentary

rudimentarily \ ˌrü-də-ˌmen-ˈter-ə-lē

, -ˈmen-trə-lē \ adverb

rudimentariness \ ˌrü-də-ˈmen-tə-rē-nəs

, -ˈmen-trē- \ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for rudimentary

Synonyms

crude, low, primitive, rude

Antonyms

advanced, developed, evolved, high, higher, late

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 on the Web

On the lam, Cal has a lightsaber and some rudimentary Force powers at the start, but will presumably develop those skills over time. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order revealed at Star Wars Celebration with a story-centric trailer," 13 Apr. 2019 This is a rudimentary form of the advanced AI calculations that Huawei and Google’s camera systems use. — Vlad Savov, The Verge, "OnePlus 6T review: revised formula, same results," 29 Oct. 2018 Available production funds clearly went to the orchestra: The singers, in concert dress, did some rudimentary acting on the large, empty stage. — Heidi Waleson, WSJ, "‘The Dawn of Romantic Opera’ Review: Subtle, Playful Performances," 31 July 2018 As a non-expert, Judge Alsup has asked reasonable questions that should provide him with a rudimentary understanding of climate science. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "Ars answers a federal judge’s questions about climate change," 19 Mar. 2018 The workers were using a dangerous and rudimentary process known as rathole mining—long prevalent in the region despite having been banned in 2014. — Krishna Pokharel, WSJ, "Divers Start Hunt for 15 Missing in Indian ‘Rathole’ Mine, Weeks After It Flooded," 30 Dec. 2018 On the first version, the Cruise sensors and computers were bolted by hand to the roof, some wiring was simply taped into place, and the car had only rudimentary autonomous capabilities. — Rick Tetzeli, Fortune, "GM Gets Ready for a Post-Car Future," 23 May 2018 Outside the structure many more bedded down on blankets or cardboard sheets in the grass, with some lashing tarps to the foliage for rudimentary shelter. — Rebecca Blackwell, The Seattle Times, "Migrants to rest, hope to win mass transport to Mexico City," 31 Oct. 2018 The initial version of Edge that shipped with the first version of Windows 10 was rudimentary, to say the least. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Edge dies a death of a thousand cuts as Microsoft switches to Chromium," 6 Dec. 2018

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.