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
The nonsensical story, intentionally rudimentary special effects, and colorful visuals make House a perfect movie to watch on mute at a bar.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
Some characters observe paper cutouts against moving backdrops via magnifying glass, creating their own rudimentary 3D in the process, at a time when cinema was in its infancy.
—Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
The young boy’s father replaced his son’s rudimentary mammal book with a more comprehensive tome by J.G. Wood, an English author of popular volumes on natural history.
—Peter Zablocki, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Oct. 2024
The researchers noted that a rudimentary way to perform meta-reasoning in this sphere would be to simply aggregate the answers, rather than try to analyze the respective chains.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rudimentary 
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Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
Some characters observe paper cutouts against moving backdrops via magnifying glass, creating their own rudimentary 3D in the process, at a time when cinema was in its infancy.
—Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
The young boy’s father replaced his son’s rudimentary mammal book with a more comprehensive tome by J.G. Wood, an English author of popular volumes on natural history.
—Peter Zablocki, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Oct. 2024
The researchers noted that a rudimentary way to perform meta-reasoning in this sphere would be to simply aggregate the answers, rather than try to analyze the respective chains.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 19 Sep. 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 16 Nov. 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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