Synonyms of groundwork

groundwork

noun

ˈgrau̇nd-ˌwərk 

as in foundation

an immaterial thing upon which something else rests

they had collectively laid the groundwork for a new kind of art

Synonyms & Similar Words

• foundation
• basis
• cornerstone
• bedrock
• ground
• justification
• footing
• base
• root
• framework
• underpinning
• theory
• premise
• keystone
• support
• core
• warp
• focus
• infrastructure
• essence
• bed
• warp and woof
• bottom
• assumption
• shore
• rationale
• thesis
• backbone
• substratum
• mount
• center
• anchorage
• kernel
• prop
• heart
• presumption
• brace
• substructure
• stay
• warrant
• supposition
• nucleus
• hub
• seat
• bulwark
• buttress
• presupposition
• soul
• touchstone
• eye
• quintessence

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of groundwork

To her, the rhetoric sounded like groundwork for deeper cuts to come. — Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 30 June 2026

Laying the groundwork for a free trade agreement that would remake his nation’s economy, Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari loaned crates of art to the United States in the autumn of 1990. — Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Representatives from the United States, Israel, and Lebanon signed a trilateral framework following lengthy negotiations aimed at ending the conflict and laying out the groundwork for a future peace agreement. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 26 June 2026

Photograph by Sébastien Leban for TIME France The groundwork is already in place with a structure—Interconnected Ventures—chaired from Paris by his mother, Fayza Lamari, and run day to day by Ziad Hammoud, formerly of beIN Sports, with about 20 employees. — Time, Time, 26 June 2026