as in basic
of or relating to the simplest facts or theories of a subject
students who do not have even an elementary knowledge of geography
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Recent Examples of elementary
In addition, the 2026 mid-year results for the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) show the district outperformed the state across all grades in English language arts, as well as in math across all elementary grades and in sixth and seventh grades.
—
Howard Hepburn, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
Bakri is responsible for many soul-shattering moments in Cherien Dabis’s exemplary multigenerational epic All That’s Left of You (now on digital), and the first takes place after an elementary-school lesson.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Students in elementary grades would be taught not to touch a found firearm, to leave the area and to tell an adult.
—Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice, 24 Mar. 2026
Lessons depend on age While open discussion of the allegations may be appropriate for older students, elementary students need a different approach, said Cal State Northridge professor Theresa Montaño, a Chicano and Chicana studies scholar who helped develop the state’s ethnic studies curriculum.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elementary
Howard Hepburn, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
Bakri is responsible for many soul-shattering moments in Cherien Dabis’s exemplary multigenerational epic All That’s Left of You (now on digital), and the first takes place after an elementary-school lesson.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Students in elementary grades would be taught not to touch a found firearm, to leave the area and to tell an adult.
—Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice, 24 Mar. 2026
Lessons depend on age While open discussion of the allegations may be appropriate for older students, elementary students need a different approach, said Cal State Northridge professor Theresa Montaño, a Chicano and Chicana studies scholar who helped develop the state’s ethnic studies curriculum.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elementary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elementary
Adjective
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So, while the dutiful reader is still turning over basic questions about the nature of witchcraft, the girls are already hurtling up the stairs and out of the basement, and Lucie is crossing paths with Isabelle, a hostile neighbor.—
Kristen Roupenian,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Accessibility Staff are trained in basic access awareness, which encourages the use of the social model of disability.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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By the late 1950s, Houdry had invented a rudimentary catalytic converter.—
Ann E. Carlson,
The Conversation,
31 Mar. 2026
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The crash occurred at Tempe in northern Greece after a passenger train was placed on the wrong track, into the path of an oncoming freight train — an astonishing lapse on a rudimentary rail network.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The school announced Malone’s hiring on Tuesday and scheduled an introductory news conference for later in the day.—
Aaron Beard,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
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The school announced Malone's hiring on Tuesday and scheduled an introductory news conference for later in the day.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In this regard, a fundamental reorientation toward grassroots and community-based partnerships is critical, building institutional capacity from the ground up rather than top-down.—
Smooth Nzewi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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This key milestone, overseen by the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the Environment Agency, and Natural Resources Wales, provides formal validation that there are no fundamental safety, security, or safeguards flaws in the SMR-300 design.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elementary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elementary. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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