fundamental
At the foundation
Fundamental describes what lies at the foundation or base of something—the essential elements without which the whole structure fails.
Fundamental rights, fundamental principles, fundamental skills.
A fundamental flaw undermines everything built upon it.
In music, the fundamental is the lowest frequency of a harmonic series.
As a noun, fundamentals are basics: master the fundamentals before advancing.
Fundamentally means at the deepest level: We fundamentally disagree.
Central essential portion
- essentialFundamentally necessary
- vitalEssential or sustaining existence
- crucialOf supreme importance
- indispensableUtterly required, irreplaceable
necessary · integral · intrinsic · inherent · central · pivotal · cardinal · paramount
Solid stone underground
- cornerstoneFoundational building block
- keystoneArch's central locking stone
- baseSupporting bottom structure
- groundworkFoundational preparation for something
underpinning · framework · infrastructure · substructure · substrate · footing · scaffolding · platform
Fundamental truth or standard
- valueImportance or price
- beliefTrust held as true
- moralityRight and wrong principles
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
ideal · ethos · conviction · tenet · creed · core belief
Self-evident starting principle
- tenetHeld principle or doctrine
- doctrineEstablished body of teachings
- preceptRule governing behavior
- canonAccepted authoritative works
postulate · theorem · maxim · dictum · law · rule · truth · proposition
First or inventive
- primalFirst in origin
- primitiveIn earliest form
- primordialExisting from the start
- archetypalEmbodying the original pattern
germinal · nascent · inaugural · genesis · root · source · origin · ur-
Of first principles
- rudimentaryIn simplest possible form
- basicFundamental in nature
- introductoryServing as a beginning
- preliminaryBefore the main part
beginner · simple · entry-level · novice · primer · groundwork · basics · ABCs
Innate personal worth
- rightsJustified claims to freedoms
- equalitySame status for all
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- justiceFair treatment under law
respect · autonomy · self-determination · personhood · inherent worth · universal · inalienable · entitlement
core
Central essential portion
indispensable · necessary · integral · intrinsic · inherent · central · pivotal · cardinal · paramount · key
bedrock
Solid stone underground
- cornerstoneFoundational building block
- keystoneArch's central locking stone
- baseSupporting bottom structure
groundwork · underpinning · framework · infrastructure · substructure · substrate · footing · scaffolding · platform · pillar
principle
Fundamental truth or standard
virtue · ideal · ethos · conviction · tenet · creed · core belief
axiom
Self-evident starting principle
canon · postulate · theorem · maxim · dictum · law · rule · truth · proposition · creed
original
First or inventive
- primalFirst in origin
- primitiveIn earliest form
- primordialExisting from the start
archetypal · germinal · nascent · inaugural · genesis · root · source · origin · ur- · proto-
elementary
Of first principles
- rudimentaryIn simplest possible form
- basicFundamental in nature
- introductoryServing as a beginning
preliminary · beginner · simple · entry-level · novice · primer · groundwork · basics · ABCs · building blocks
dignity
Innate personal worth
justice · respect · autonomy · self-determination · personhood · inherent worth · universal · inalienable · entitlement · empathy
frequency
Rate of recurrence
- harmonicOf musical overtones
- oscillationRepeated back-and-forth movement
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
wavelength · resonance · overtone · mode · particle · force · constant · quantum · Planck
- Non-negotiablesdealbreaker, must-have, bottom line, red line, hard limit
- difficultyeasy, hard, medium, difficult, moderate
- pitchfastball, curveball, slider, changeup, sinker
- fundamentalsbasics, essentials, ABCs, rudiments, bedrock
- harmonyharmony, chord, chords, triad, triads
- importanceimportance, significance, consequence, weight, gravity
fundamentalperipheral
External computer add-on
incidental · ancillary · secondary · non-essential · auxiliary
fundamentalsuperficial
Lacking depth or substance
surface-level · derivative · secondary · superstructural · derived
- fundamental rightsCore legal protections guaranteed
- fundamental freedomsConstitutionally protected core liberties
- religious fundamentalismLiteral interpretation of scripture
- fundamental principlesEssential underlying truths
- fundamental lawsFoundational rules of systems
- Christian fundamentalismLiteral Bible belief movement
fundamentally, fundamentals, fundament, fundamentalist, fundamentalism, fundamentalists, fundaments, fundamentalisms, fundamental rights