Meaning & use

basic

adjective·Everyday

Forming an essential foundation; simple, fundamental, and without elaboration or extras.

See it in a sentence

The course covers the basic principles of chemistry before moving to advanced topics.

The hotel room was basic but clean, with just a bed and a small desk.

A note on using this word

Basic can be neutral, meaning foundational, or mildly critical when describing something plain or unremarkable, depending on tone.

Words with a similar meaning

fundamentalelementaryplain

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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