foundational

adjective

foun·​da·​tion·​al fau̇n-ˈdā-sh(ə-)nəl 

: of, relating to, or forming or serving as a base or foundation : fundamental

foundational principles/doctrines

These foundational volumes proved to be, each in its own way, enabling gestures for the growth of sophisticated theories and critical practices in African, Caribbean, and African American literatures.

—Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Property was, in a sense, foundational to culture, since English political economy rested on the private ownership of land, and the political economy, in turn, largely structured social relations.

—Jill Lepore

Philosophy is a foundational discipline. Not only does it do the spadework that makes the construction of other disciplines possible; it also pays constant attention to the foundations of those disciplines as they are practiced.

—Cognitive Science

foundationally adverb

Examples of foundational in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the news conference, Starr also chronicled his lifelong love affair with country, starting with the foundational music of Hank Williams. —Nancy Kruh, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025

Estate planning platforms can help streamline foundational planning elements, including creating wills, trusts and health directives. —Cody Barbo, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025

These startups have raised billions of dollars at eye-watering valuations while burning through sizable amounts of money to train and develop their foundational AI models. —Ryan Browne, CNBC, 15 Jan. 2025

Considering the success of both Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Spider-Verse series, the idea that there’s a bunch of Spider people has been quickly turned into a foundational feature rather than a niche spinoff. —Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined above