| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | elementary, fundamental |
| Synonyms: | basal, capital, central, chief, elemental, essential, indispensable, inherent, intrinsic, key, main, necessary, primary, primitive, principal, radical, substratal, underlying, vital |
| Antonyms: | additional, extra, inessential, nonessential, outside, peripheral, secondary |
| Main Entry: | bare |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | simple, unadorned |
| Synonyms: | austere, bald, basic, blunt, chaste, cold, essential, hard, literal, meager, mere, modest, scant, severe, sheer, simple, spare, stark, unembellished, unornamented |
| Notes: | bare is to uncover or reveal or to expose; bear is to hold up, support, transport - or an animal |
| Antonyms: | adorned, decorated |
| Main Entry: | bottom |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | lowest; fundamental |
| Synonyms: | basal, base, basement, basic, foundational, ground, last, lowermost, lowest, meat-and-potatoes, nethermost, primary, radical, rock-bottom, underlying, undermost |
| Antonyms: | highest, top, unnecessary |
| Main Entry: | capital |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | main, essential |
| Synonyms: | basic, cardinal, central, chief, controlling, dominant, first, foremost, fundamental, important, leading, major, number one, outstanding, overruling, paramount, predominant, preeminent, primary, prime, principal, prominent, underlying, vital |
| Notes: | the word capitol is from the Roman Capitoline Hill and the similarity between capitol and capital is purely coincidental; capitol applies to the building and capital to the seat of a government |
| Antonyms: | extra, minor, nonessential, secondary, unimportant |
| Main Entry: | cardinal |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | important, key |
| Synonyms: | basal, basic, central, chief, constitutive, essential, first, foremost, fundamental, greatest, highest, indispensable, leading, main, overriding, overruling, paramount, pivotal, preeminent, primary, prime, principal, ruling, vital |
| Antonyms: | inessential, insignificant, minor, negligible, secondary, unimportant |
| Main Entry: | central |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | main, principal; in the middle |
| Synonyms: | axial, basic, cardinal, center, centric, centroidal, chief, dominant, equidistant, essential, focal, foremost, fundamental, important, inmost, inner, interior, intermediate, key, leading, master, mean, median, mid, middle, middlemost, midmost, midway, nuclear, omphalic, outstanding, overriding, paramount, pivotal, predominant, primary, prime, radical, ruling, salient, significant, umbilical |
| Antonyms: | exterior, minor, outside, peripheral, secondary |
| Main Entry: | component |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | constituent |
| Synonyms: | basic, composing, elemental, fundamental, inherent, integral, intrinsic, part and parcel of, part of |
| Main Entry: | constituent |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | component, part |
| Synonyms: | basic, combining, composing, constituting, division, elemental, essential, factor, forming, fraction, fundamental, ingredient, integral, portion |
| Antonyms: | whole |
| Main Entry: | doctrine |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | opinion; principle |
| Synonyms: | article, article of faith, attitude, axiom, basic, belief, canon, concept, convention, conviction, credenda, creed, declaration, dogma, fundamental, gospel, implantation, inculcation, indoctrination, instruction, position, precept, pronouncement, propaganda, proposition, regulation, rule, statement, teaching, tenet, tradition, universal law, unwritten rule |
| Antonyms: | disbelief, heterodoxy, skepticism, unbelief |