ELEMENTARY Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

elementary

adjective

ˌe-lə-ˈmen-tə-rē

Definition of elementary

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of elementary My mom is an elementary-school librarian, so going to the library was a big part of my childhood. — Marah Eakin, Vulture, 14 Sep. 2026 Magnet schools, whether at the elementary, middle or high school level, tend to attract students from wealthier homes and draw particularly white populations. — Beth Lloyd, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026 Flag football, a ridiculously cheap, easy-to-learn version of the game, had been a staple of elementary and middle school PE programs for decades. — Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 11 Sep. 2026 All districts in the state will have to use the screener next school year to determine whether early elementary students have learning gaps in literacy and what extra instruction a child is entitled to receive. — Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for elementary

Recent Examples of Synonyms for elementary

Adjective

That’s one of the basic rules outlined in the New York Times Crossword submission guidelines and a convention followed by just about every major crossword outlet.

— New York Times, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Residents are dealing with rising costs while still asking for basic improvements to roads, lighting, flooding and traffic safety.

— Miami Herald staff, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of basic

Adjective

That effectively turns the window unit into a rudimentary ground-source heat pump.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
People in New York City looked up in shock and dismay; people everywhere else watched their favorite anchors on old-fashioned television sets and looked for updates on very rudimentary versions of news websites.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of rudimentary

Adjective

New data presented at the UC Board of Regents meeting Wednesday shows that more first-year students are failing introductory math courses now than six years ago when the university moved to a test-blind admissions process.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Together, the introductory courses make up about 5% of the classes freshmen take, ranging from 2% at UC Irvine to 12% at UC Merced.

— Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of introductory

Adjective

Other research points to fundamental flaws of SAT and ACT testing, including that students from higher-income families tend to have higher SAT scores.

— Beth Kania-Gosche, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
The drilling partnership therefore addresses a fundamental part of the deployment model.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026