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

San Diego will host a symposium late next month on tiny 3-D rudimentary organs called organoids. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Biotech notebook: Cancer discovery, bacterial syringes and organoids," 13 July 2019 The former Texas congressman surprised many early in the debate by responding to a question about marginal tax rates in his rudimentary Español. — cleveland.com, "Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker get memed for speaking Spanish at the debate," 27 June 2019 One reason is that the computers, which aim to harness the laws of quantum mechanics to accelerate certain computations, are still rudimentary, with radically different designs contending. — Adrian Cho, Science | AAAS, "How to evaluate computers that don’t quite exist," 26 June 2019 But his upside may be capped by his lack of a jump shot and rudimentary offensive skills. — Jeremy Woo, SI.com, "2019 NBA Draft: Ranking Best Bigs Available," 14 June 2019 The site was in a prime location, adjacent to the Safeway at Branham Lane and Camden Avenue, but the court was rudimentary at best, with two poles sticking out of a patch of sand. — Michelle Pitcher, The Mercury News, "Volleyball fans dig Branham Park’s upgraded court," 16 June 2019 Forgive the film's rudimentary green-screen effects. — Elena Nicolaou, refinery29.com, "These Terrifying Movies Will Ruin Your Beach Vacation," 15 June 2019 What’s the rudimentary element of a country and western song? — Tomás Mier, PEOPLE.com, "CMT Award Winner Leon Bridges Thinks Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Has Country Music 'Essence'," 6 June 2019 Yet across East Africa, the camel dairy business remains rudimentary with much of it being sold and consumed in domestic markets or guzzled by young camels themselves. — Abdi Latif Dahir, Quartz Africa, "Camel milk could be the next superfood—thanks to East Africa," 6 June 2019

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.