SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
elemental
adjective
Basic or essential to the nature of something.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Basic and essential
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topElementary can mean simple or introductory; elemental here identifies a basic constituent.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See elemental in use
Trust was an elemental part of the group's working relationship.
Finding a clear route from the entrance to each room is the elemental problem in a student team's wayfinding project for a shared arts building.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license