rudimentary
adjective
ru·di·men·ta·ry
| \ ˌrü-də-ˈmen-tə-rē
, -ˈmen-trē\
, -ˈmen-trē\
Definition of rudimentary
1
: consisting in first principles : fundamental
had only a rudimentary formal education— D. J. Boorstin
2
: of a primitive kind
the equipment of these past empire-builders was rudimentary— A. J. Toynbee
3
: very imperfectly developed or represented only by a vestige
the rudimentary tail of a hyrax
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Other Words from rudimentary
rudimentarily
\ ˌrü-də-ˌmen-ˈter-ə-lē
, -ˈmen-trə-lē \
adverb
, -ˈmen-trə-lē \
adverb
rudimentariness
\ ˌrü-də-ˈmen-tə-rē-nəs
, -ˈmen-trē- \
noun
, -ˈmen-trē- \
noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for rudimentary
Synonyms
Antonyms
advanced, developed, evolved, high, higher, late
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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
It appears as if the posterior molar or wisdom-teeth were tending to become rudimentary in the more civilised races of man.
— Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man, 1871
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
The fighting stripped the country of much wildlife and the parks are rudimentary, lacking lodges, visitors’ centers and roads. — Washington Post, "South Sudan tries to protect wildlife after long conflict," 27 July 2019 In all, 16 rudimentary pipe bombs were mailed to addresses in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, California, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia. — CBS News, "Amateur body builder who sent pipe bombs to prominent Democrats is sentenced to 20 years," 5 Aug. 2019 In all, 16 rudimentary pipe bombs were mailed to addresses in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, California, Washington, D.C., and Georgia. — Larry Neumeister, BostonGlobe.com, "Man who mailed explosive devices to Democrats, CNN gets 20-year sentence," 5 Aug. 2019 Sayoc pleaded guilty to sending 16 rudimentary bombs to targets including Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, several Democratic members of Congress, former President Barack Obama, actor Robert De Niro and billionaire George Soros. — Fox News, "Pipe bomb mailer Cesar Sayoc sentenced to 20 years behind bars," 5 Aug. 2019 Coming to these campgrounds sight unseen requires a degree of adaptability, as some are more rudimentary than others. — Zach Montague, New York Times, "An Adirondack Wilderness All Your Own," 22 July 2019 All the tweaks are fairly rudimentary with the option for fine-tuning. — Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, "Review: Astro updates A40 and Mixamp Pro TR to keep up with gamers’ needs," 17 July 2019 My rudimentary word processing program had a thesaurus. — Alexandra Lange, Curbed, "Let Christopher Alexander design your life," 11 July 2019 Missed rendezvous Howland Island, with its rudimentary airstrip, was Earhart’s next stop. — National Geographic, "Robert Ballard found the Titanic. Can he find Amelia Earhart’s airplane?," 23 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rudimentary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for rudimentary
rudimentary
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of rudimentary
formal
: basic or simple
: not very developed or advanced
See the full definition for rudimentary in the English Language Learners Dictionary
rudimentary
adjective
ru·di·men·ta·ry
| \ ˌrüd-ə-ˈmen-tə-rē
\
\
Kids Definition of rudimentary
1
: elementary, simple
He has only rudimentary knowledge of math.
2
: not fully developed
rudimentary wings
rudimentary
adjective
ru·di·men·ta·ry
| \ ˌrüd-ə-ˈment-ə-rē, -ˈmen-trē
\
\
Medical Definition of rudimentary
: very imperfectly developed or represented only by a vestige
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