rudimentary

ru·di·men·ta·ry

adj \ˌrü-də-ˈmen-tə-rē, -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>

— ru·di·men·tar·i·ly \-ˌmen-ˈter-ə-lē, -ˈmen-trə-lē\ adverb

— ru·di·men·ta·ri·ness \-ˈmen-tə-rē-nəs, -ˈmen-trē-\ noun

Examples of RUDIMENTARY

1. This class requires a rudimentary knowledge of human anatomy.
2. When baseball was in its rudimentary stages, different teams played by different rules.
3. Some insects have only rudimentary wings.
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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

Origin of RUDIMENTARY

(see rudiment)

First Known Use: 1839

Related to RUDIMENTARY

Synonyms: crude, low, rude, primitive

Antonyms: advanced, developed, evolved, high, higher, late

Related Words: basic, simple, uncomplicated; homely, homespun, unsophisticated; early, embryonic, primeval, primordial; backward, underdeveloped, undeveloped; aged, ancient, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, dated, fusty, hoary, musty, obsolete, old, oldfangled, old-fashioned, old-time, out-of-date, outworn, passé, past, quaint, unmodernized

Near Antonyms: complex, complicated, intricate, involved, sophisticated; full-blown, grown, mature, matured, perfected, ripe, ripened; civilized, cultivated, enlightened, refined; contemporary, current, latest, mod, modern, modernistic, new, newfangled, new-fashioned, novel, now, present-day, space-age, state-of-the-art, supermodern, ultramodern, up-to-date

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Rhymes with RUDIMENTARY

complementary, documentary, double entry, elementary, mockumentary, sedimentary, single entry, supplementary, testamentary