rudimentary
adjective
ru·di·men·ta·ry
ˌrü-də-ˈmen-tə-rē 
-ˈmen-trē
1
: consisting in first principles : fundamental
… had only a rudimentary formal education …—
Daniel J. Boorstin
Daniel J. Boorstin2
: of a primitive kind
… the equipment of these past empire-builders was rudimentary.—A. J. Toynbee
A. J. Toynbee3
: very imperfectly developed or represented only by a vestige
the rudimentary tail of a hyrax
Examples of rudimentary in a Sentence
Because now, every schlemiel with a pair of mirrored sunglasses and a rudimentary grasp of the rules of poker thinks he can play cards with the pros.
—A. J. Jacobs, New York Times Book Review, 8 May 2005
Despite the rudimentary nature of its instruments—an octant, a chronometer and a level—the Lewis and Clark Expedition was a triumph for science and natural history.
—Daniel J. Boorstin, U.S. News & World Report, 11 July 1994
A few were hopeless imbeciles, unable to comprehend more than the rudimentary requirements of filling their bellies when food was placed before them …
—Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Monster Men, 1929
This class requires a rudimentary knowledge of human anatomy.
When baseball was in its rudimentary stages, different teams played by different rules.
Some insects have only rudimentary wings.
A. J. Jacobs, New York Times Book Review, 8 May 2005
Despite the rudimentary nature of its instruments—an octant, a chronometer and a level—the Lewis and Clark Expedition was a triumph for science and natural history.
—Daniel J. Boorstin, U.S. News & World Report, 11 July 1994
A few were hopeless imbeciles, unable to comprehend more than the rudimentary requirements of filling their bellies when food was placed before them …
—Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Monster Men, 1929
This class requires a rudimentary knowledge of human anatomy.
When baseball was in its rudimentary stages, different teams played by different rules.
Some insects have only rudimentary wings.
Recent Examples on the Web
The federal government also funded more than a hundred thousand programs across the country and, relying on rudimentary punch-card computers, kept track of everything going on everywhere and made that information available all over.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
The cognitive processes behind adaptation Far from being rudimentary, the study investigated the neural mechanics behind these visual representations, suggesting the presence of abstract thought—a crucial step in the evolution of human thinking.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Mar. 2026
The same is true for smart telescopes, which can only capture rudimentary images of planets (most are designed for faint deep-sky objects).
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Our systems suppress not only Black excellence, but also our rudimentary human rights (do read up on how the British education system fails Black boys).
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rudimentary
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Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
The cognitive processes behind adaptation Far from being rudimentary, the study investigated the neural mechanics behind these visual representations, suggesting the presence of abstract thought—a crucial step in the evolution of human thinking.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Mar. 2026
The same is true for smart telescopes, which can only capture rudimentary images of planets (most are designed for faint deep-sky objects).
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Our systems suppress not only Black excellence, but also our rudimentary human rights (do read up on how the British education system fails Black boys).
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rudimentary
Cite this Entry
“Rudimentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rudimentary. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rudimentary
adjective
ru·di·men·ta·ry
ˌrüd-ə-ˈment-ə-rē
-ˈmen-trē
2
: very imperfectly developed or represented only by a small part compared to the fully developed form
a rudimentary tail
Medical Definition
rudimentary
adjective
ru·di·men·ta·ry
ˌrüd-ə-ˈment-ə-rē, -ˈmen-trē
: very imperfectly developed or represented only by a vestige
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