as in basic
of or relating to the simplest facts or theories of a subject
students who do not have even an elementary knowledge of geography
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Recent Examples of elementary
Learn about the hobby and this Chicago Park District program’s STEM offerings for elementary students.
—
Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
The report shows that elementary grades are experiencing the sharpest enrollment declines, with middle school grades also in a sharp enrollment drop.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2026
The law also creates a discipline process for preschool and elementary students where there was none before.
—Stacker, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026
Yet many of its students aren’t demonstrating even an elementary grasp of free speech.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for elementary
Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
The report shows that elementary grades are experiencing the sharpest enrollment declines, with middle school grades also in a sharp enrollment drop.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2026
The law also creates a discipline process for preschool and elementary students where there was none before.
—Stacker, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026
Yet many of its students aren’t demonstrating even an elementary grasp of free speech.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for elementary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elementary
Adjective
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Likewise, not all students arrive at their university with their basic needs fully met.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
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The international evidence, the domestic evidence, the academic literature, and basic arithmetic do not support it.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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Charley can read but can’t write well, his fine motor skills rudimentary.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
26 May 2026
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Each blip from his Korg MS-20 synthesizer resolves like an individual pixel on a rudimentary PC monitor, fitting for a track that dropped at the dawn of mass peer-to-peer file sharing.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
23 May 2026
Adjective
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Rodrigo's introductory set managed a month at the summit after debuting in that position in June 2021.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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Among the things rushing to the front of his mind could have been the introductory hellos and final goodbyes, the moments of hope followed only by pain-staking losses, the closing chapters of another regime gone by.—
Daniel Flick,
AJC.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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According to the team, the result positions Argus as an early demonstration of a wider class of robots built not around biological imitation, but around a fundamental principle of balanced, direction-agnostic performance.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
27 May 2026
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Celebrating its 340th birthday this year, the gravitational constant is the oldest fundamental constant in physics.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elementary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elementary. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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