as in basic
of or relating to the simplest facts or theories of a subject
many students lacked even a basal familiarity with the topic
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Recent Examples of basal
However, science shows the boost is temporary, and long-term high sugar consumption has resulted in low basal dopamine levels.5
4.
—
Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 8 Sep. 2025
Dystonia is thought to begin in the part of the brain called the basal ganglia that controls how muscles contract.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
About two minutes in, a chunk of Ship's skirt — the basal part near its engine bay — broke apart, sending debris floating into the final frontier.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The shallow sensors were thus unable to access deep brain regions—such as the hypothalamus, thalamus, basal ganglia, and limbic system—that govern hunger, thirst, sleep, pain, memory, emotions, and other important perceptions and behaviors.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for basal
Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 8 Sep. 2025
Dystonia is thought to begin in the part of the brain called the basal ganglia that controls how muscles contract.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
About two minutes in, a chunk of Ship's skirt — the basal part near its engine bay — broke apart, sending debris floating into the final frontier.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The shallow sensors were thus unable to access deep brain regions—such as the hypothalamus, thalamus, basal ganglia, and limbic system—that govern hunger, thirst, sleep, pain, memory, emotions, and other important perceptions and behaviors.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2022
See All Example Sentences for basal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for basal
Adjective
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In March 2025, Chelsea gave PEOPLE an exclusive update on Max's health journey, explaining that their son has had to relearn basic functions and attend physical therapy.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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Those wanting to stream the show live can do so with a Peacock premium subscription or stream new episodes the next day with a basic Peacock subscription.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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At Nashoba Public School, in a rural part of southeast Oklahoma where there’s little else but timber and twisting roads, the roughly 50 kids who make up the elementary and middle grades are taught in split-grade classrooms.—
Jennifer Smith Richards,
ProPublica,
22 Oct. 2025
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After more or less abandoning philosophy at the end of the First World War, Ludwig trained to be an elementary-school teacher, spent time as a gardener’s assistant in a monastery, and then taught in small towns in rural Austria.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The concept is similar to the rare cases of humans who are born with rudimentary tails, a trait that was seen in primate ancestors over 25 million years ago, according to Brian Hall, research professor emeritus in evolutionary cell biology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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A lot of what is unwieldy about Down Cemetery Road stems from the source novel, which predates the Slough House series and showcases a writer with an exceptional gift for dialogue and characterization but a more nascent sense of rudimentary storytelling.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Watch for promotions such as gift cards or introductory pricing for new customers.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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The consumer’s journey includes a introductory questionnaire that covers sizes and style preferences as well as an ongoing dialogue with a human stylist.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The underlying universal themes of fatherhood and family bonds spoke to me and my own experience directly.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
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Bad fuel, hydraulic contamination, corrosion, or software glitches can cause catastrophic failures, sometimes in clusters if underlying maintenance issues exist.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Shein, which boasts 45 million European users, is beholden to an EU law designed to create safer digital spaces that protect the fundamental rights of internet users, the ministers said.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Nov. 2025
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However, the paper, released Tuesday, claims these fundamental tests might not be reliable and calls into question the validity of many benchmark results.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Basal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basal. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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