BASIC: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for BASIC?

Need another word that means the same as “basic”? Find 31 synonyms and 30 related words for “basic” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Basic” are: canonic, canonical, introductory, fundamental, rudimentary, primary, principal, cardinal, chief, elementary, elemental, lowest, bottom, starting, plain, simple, unsophisticated, straightforward, adequate, unadorned, undecorated, unornamented, staple, fundamentals, essentials, rudiments, principles, first principles, foundations, preliminaries, groundwork

Basic as a Noun

Definitions of "Basic" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “basic” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• Essential food and other supplies.
• The essential facts or principles of a subject or skill.
• A necessary commodity for which demand is constant.
• A popular programming language that is relatively easy to learn; an acronym for beginner's all-purpose symbolic instruction code; no longer in general use.
• (usually in the plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant.

Synonyms of "Basic" as a noun (9 Words)

essentials	Anything indispensable. The essentials of the good life.
first principles	The time at which something is supposed to begin.
foundations	Lowest support of a structure. He lacks the foundation necessary for advanced study.
fundamentals	The lowest tone of a harmonic series. First you must learn the fundamentals.
groundwork	Preliminary or basic work. The inquiry s findings are expected to lay the groundwork for a complete overhaul of the system.
preliminaries	Something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows.
principles	Rule of personal conduct. Their principles of composition characterized all their works.
rudiments	The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural. He mastered only the rudiments of geometry.
staple	A piece of thin wire with two short right angled end pieces which are driven by a stapler through sheets of paper to fasten them together. Staple fibers vary widely in length.

Usage Examples of "Basic" as a noun

• I learnt the basics of programming on a course.
• Teachers are going back to basics to encourage pupils to learn English.
• People are facing a shortage of basics like flour.

Basic as an Adjective

Definitions of "Basic" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “basic” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Forming an essential foundation or starting point; fundamental.
• Pertaining to or constituting a base or basis.
• Common to or required by everyone; primary and ineradicable or inalienable.
• Having the properties of a base, or containing a base; having a pH above 7.
• Relating to or denoting steel-making processes involving lime-rich refractories and slags.
• Of or denoting or of the nature of or containing a base.
• Offering or constituting the minimum required without elaboration or luxury.
• (of rock, especially lava) relatively poor in silica.
• Reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality.
• Serving as a base or starting point.
• Having tastes, interests, or attitudes regarded as mainstream or conventional (typically used of a woman.

Synonyms of "Basic" as an adjective (22 Words)

adequate	Sufficient for the purpose. The food was adequate.
bottom	Situated at the bottom or lowest position. They came bottom with 17 points.
canonic	Appearing in a biblical canon. A canonical syllable pattern.
canonical	According to or ordered by canon law. A canonical book of the Christian New Testament.
cardinal	Being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order. A cardinal rule.
chief	Most important element. The chief reason for the spending cuts.
elemental	Forming an essential or typical feature; fundamental. Failure is always apparent at this elemental level.
elementary	Of or pertaining to or characteristic of elementary school or elementary education. An elementary problem in statistics.
fundamental	So basic as to be hard to alter, resolve, or overcome. The book underwent fundamental changes.
introductory	Serving as an introduction or preface. We are making a special introductory offer of a reduced subscription.
lowest	Lowest in rank or importance.
plain	(of written or spoken usage) clearly expressed, without the use of technical or abstruse terms. An insurance policy written in plain English.
primary	Of primary importance. A primary teacher.
principal	Denoting an original sum invested or lent. The principal amount of your investment.
rudimentary	Relating to an immature, undeveloped, or basic form. Rudimentary wings.
simple	Humble and unpretentious. The simple passage of time was enough.
starting	Bulging or protruding as with fear. The starting point.
straightforward	(of a person) honest and frank. He is not being as straightforward as it appears.
unadorned	Not adorned; plain. It was very simple its walls unadorned.
undecorated	Not decorated with something to increase its beauty or distinction. The walls were completely undecorated.
unornamented	Lacking embellishment or ornamentation. An unornamented two storey building.
unsophisticated	Lacking refined worldly knowledge or tastes. Unsophisticated computer software.

Usage Examples of "Basic" as an adjective

• Basic human rights.
• The basic ingredients.
• Basic changes in public opinion occur because of changes in priorities.
• The laying down of arms is basic to the agreement.
• Certain basic rules must be obeyed.
• A basic course in Russian.
• A basic fact.
• These salts yield basic solutions comparable in strength with the mineral alkalis.
• The food was good, if a bit basic.
• A basic story line.
• Basic training for raw recruits.
• A set of basic tools.
• A coarse-grained, basic, plutonic rock.
• If your date orders vegetable tempura you know she is totally basic.

Associations of "Basic" (30 Words)

applied	Concerned with concrete problems or data rather than with fundamental principles. Applied psychology.
basal	Of primary importance. Basal placentation.
base	Serving as or forming a base. Base a claim on some observation.
basically	In essence; at bottom or by one’s (or its) very nature. I basically played the same thing every night.
basilar	Of or situated at the base of something, especially of the skull, or of the organ of Corti in the ear. The basilar membrane of the cochlea.
cornerstone	The fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained. A national minimum wage remained the cornerstone of policy.
elemental	A supernatural entity or force thought to be physically manifested by occult means. Gods and elementals looked out upon the worshippers.
elementary	Of or pertaining to or characteristic of elementary school or elementary education. The six stages take students from elementary to advanced level.
elements	Violent or severe weather viewed as caused by the action of the four elements. They felt the full fury of the elements.
essential	(of a disease) with no known external stimulus or cause; idiopathic. The essential weakness of the plaintiff s case.
essentially	In essence; at bottom or by one’s (or its) very nature. Essentially they are amateurs.
essentialness	Basic importance.
firsthand	From the original source; directly. Firsthand information.
fundamental	A fundamental note tone or frequency. The fundamental laws of the universe.
fundamentally	Used to make an emphatic statement about the basic truth of something. Fundamentally this is a matter for doctors.
indispensable	Absolutely necessary. Foods indispensable to good nutrition.
leading	The activity of leading. The leading team in the pennant race.
main	Most important element. The camcorder can be run directly off the mains.
nutshell	The hard woody covering around the kernel of a nut.
originally	With reference to the origin or beginning. Potatoes originally came from South America.
premise	State or presuppose something as a premise. He premised these remarks so that his readers might understand.
primarily	For the most part; mainly. Around 80 per cent of personal computers are used primarily for word processing.
primary	Of primary importance. The government s primary aim is to see significant reductions in unemployment.
principal	An actor who plays a principal role. Stockbrokers in Tokyo act as agents rather than as principals.
radical	A radical sign. Radical leaves.
radically	In a thorough or fundamental way; completely. You must radically change the way you do business.
rudiment	An elementary or primitive form of (something. She taught the girls the rudiments of reading and writing.
rudimentary	Not fully developed in mature animals. Rudimentary plans.
staple	Attach or secure with a staple or staples. Wheat is a staple crop.
underlying	Lying or situated under something. Underlying problems need to be addressed.