fundamentaladjective
uk/ˌfʌn.dəˈmen.təl/us/ˌfʌn.dəˈmen.t̬əl/C2 forming the base, from which everything else develops:
We need to make fundamental changes to the way in which we treat our environment.
It's one of the fundamental differences between men and women.
The school is based on the fundamental principle that all children should reach their full potential.
Diversity is of fundamental importance to all ecosystems and all economies.
C2 more important than anything else:
Some understanding of grammar is fundamental to learning a language.
More examples
- A fair justice system is a fundamental part of a civilized society.
- Peaceful demonstrations that do not cause a public nuisance are a fundamental right in any truly democratic country.
- He'd like to see a fundamental reappraisal of the way unions operate.
- Trial by jury is a fundamental right.
- The new management will make fundamental changes.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Essential or necessary
- a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do idiom
- basically
- basis
- be a question of doing sth idiom
- business-critical
- dependence
- imply
- incumbent
- indispensable
- inherent
- integral
- interdependent
- needed
- needful
- occasion
- on a need-to-know basis idiom
- owe
- owe it to yourself idiom
- underlying
- warrant
See more results »