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—
D. J. Boorstin
D. 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
In 2018, a team of French physicists developed a rudimentary mathematical model to describe the deformation of a common type of knit.
—Ars Technica, 27 Dec. 2024
The plane’s landing assistance system, which used radio waves to measure the plane’s relative distance to the runway, had been improved so dramatically that it was being used as a rudimentary navigation device.
—Justin Ling, WIRED, 23 Dec. 2024
Yet many workers didn’t have even the rudimentary training that Mitchell and other bank employees had gone through on their laptops about what to do in case of an active shooter.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 19 Dec. 2024
These shortcomings include racial bias, the law's rudimentary acknowledgement of the effects of brain damage and mental illness, prosecutorial misconduct, shoddy defense representation, and the intolerable risk of executing the innocent.
—Martin Sheen, TIME, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rudimentary 
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Ars Technica, 27 Dec. 2024
The plane’s landing assistance system, which used radio waves to measure the plane’s relative distance to the runway, had been improved so dramatically that it was being used as a rudimentary navigation device.
—Justin Ling, WIRED, 23 Dec. 2024
Yet many workers didn’t have even the rudimentary training that Mitchell and other bank employees had gone through on their laptops about what to do in case of an active shooter.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 19 Dec. 2024
These shortcomings include racial bias, the law's rudimentary acknowledgement of the effects of brain damage and mental illness, prosecutorial misconduct, shoddy defense representation, and the intolerable risk of executing the innocent.
—Martin Sheen, TIME, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rudimentary
Dictionary Entries Near rudimentary
Cite this Entry
“Rudimentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rudimentary. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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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