Skip to content

basic

/ˈbeɪsɪk/noun, adjective2 syllables

Basic means: pertaining to or constituting a base or basis.

Synonyms for basic34

noun, as in (usually in the plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant

adjective, as in pertaining to or constituting a base or basis

adjective, as in reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality

adjective, as in serving as a base or starting point

adjective, as in of or denoting or of the nature of or containing a base

alkaline, alkalic

also used for basic

indispensable, needed, essential, necessar, necessary, prerequisite, required, no-frills, spartan, austere, bare, bare-bones, bargain, cheap, default

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of basic

incidental

What does basic mean?6

adjective

1

pertaining to or constituting a base or basis“a basic fact”

2

reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality“a basic story line”

3

serving as a base or starting point“a basic course in Russian”

4

of or denoting or of the nature of or containing a base

noun

1

(usually in the plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant

2

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

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Basic in a sentence

  • Intuitively, the basic atomic unit of meaning is a word.Hirashiki
  • Air, like food, is a basic human need.Zifre
  • That game is easy, once you learn the basic rules.CK
  • By second grade, students are expected to have basic reading and writing skills.patgfisher
  • Without a basic understanding of certain norms, communication is impossible.LishaR
  • As long as basic needs are met, there's no need to worry.DJ_Saidez
  • The nephron is the kidney's basic structural and functional unit, responsible for blood purification.sangelo
  • These days, it's a basic skill that you have to have.adamtrousers

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of basic

as a noun

plural
basics