fundamental.

1. Forming the basic structure or principle on which other things depend.

2. The lowest-frequency component associated with a periodic vibration or sound.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• fundamental principle
• fundamental change

On the page

The dispute concerned a fundamental principle rather than a procedural detail.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Comparative more fundamental; superlative most fundamental.. Noun singular fundamental; plural fundamentals. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, evaluation, qualification. Commonness: moderately common.