basal

adjective

ˈbā-səl How to pronounce basal (audio)
Definition of basalnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of basal If dopamine neurons in the basal ganglia degenerate as happens in Parkinson’s disease, movements become harder to initiate and slower once they are commenced. — Literary Hub, 13 May 2026 Plants produce a basal rosette of downy foliage in their first year and flower in the second season, after which the plants typically die out. — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 12 May 2026 The resulting fresh basal foliage should be left through winter. — Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 9 May 2026 Throughout the day, adenosine gradually accumulates as a byproduct of brain activity, increasing feelings of sleepiness by inhibiting wake-promoting regions such as the basal forebrain. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 5 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for basal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for basal
  1. basic
  2. elementary
  3. rudimentary
  4. introductory
  5. underlying
  6. fundamental
Adjective
  • However, measures in place to limit the spread, such as regular handwashing and social distancing, are not followed at the artisanal mining sites, where work to extract gold is done by workers using basic hand tools like shovels and pans.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Engineers could then make decisions using intelligence that looks credible but fails basic technical checks.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of basic
Adjective
  • At Venetian Parc Academy, elementary students were starting the year in classrooms without individual desks, working in groups and using artificial intelligence as part of their daily lessons.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2026
  • According to the district, only 83% of elementary seats and 79% of middle school seats were filled during the 2024 to 2025 school year.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of elementary
Adjective
  • Initially a rudimentary, box-like affair, things have improved since, thanks mainly to the addition of a second tier behind the goal.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • And packing no GoTo computer requires at least a rudimentary knowledge of the night sky and a star atlas or planetarium software.
    — Damian Peach, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of rudimentary
Adjective
  • Balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the introductory rate, and a balance transfer fee of 5%, minimum $5, applies.
    — Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The first wave of customers will have access to the lowest introductory pricing through a limited Early Bird promotion.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of introductory
Adjective
  • This expansion is crucial as underlying power markets, such as PJM, exhibit considerable stress with soaring capacity costs and supply shortfalls.
    — Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The new findings provide fascinating insight into how underlying biomechanics work to shape – quite literally – the highly specialized features like tusks seen throughout the animal kingdom.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of underlying
Adjective
  • Some of those fundamental points outlined in that piece will be used here to get you up to speed on the weighty topic.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Known as Eurasianism, this conviction in the fundamental difference between Russia and the West at least partly underpins the Kremlin’s ruling ideology today.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of fundamental

Browse Nearby Words

barters (for)
basal
base
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Basal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/basal. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All