| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | basic |
| Synonyms: | constituent, elementary, primitive, primordial, rudimental |
| 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: | elementary |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | simple, basic |
| Synonyms: | ABCs, abecedarian, basal, beginning, child's play, clear, duck soup, easy, elemental, essential, facile, foundational, fundamental, initial, introductory, meat and potatoes, original, plain, prefatory, preliminary, primary, primitive, primo, rudimentary, simplest, simplex, simplified, straightforward, substratal, uncomplex, uncomplicated, underlying |
| Antonyms: | abstruse, advanced, complex, complicated, compound, difficult, hard, intricate, involved, secondary |
| Main Entry: | essential |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | basic, fundamental |
| Synonyms: | absolute, basal, cardinal, cold, complete, congenital, connate, constitutional, deep-seated, elemental, elementary, ideal, inborn, inbred, inherent, innate, intrinsic, key, main, material, meat and potatoes, name of the game, nitty-gritty, nub, perfect, primary, prime, primitive, principal, quintessential, substratal, underlying |
| Notes: | the words crucial, essential, and vital cannot be qualified (cannot be more or less...) |
| Antonyms: | atypical, minor, secondary |
| Main Entry: | forceful |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | effective, powerful |
| Synonyms: | ball of fire, bullish, cogent, coming on strong, commanding, compelling, constraining, convincing, dominant, dynamic, electric, elemental, energetic, forcible, gutsy, mighty, persuasive, pithy, potent, powerhouse, puissant, punch, punchy, steamroller, stringent, strong, take-charge, take-over, telling, titanic, vehement, vigorous, violent, virile, weighty |
| Notes: | forcible indicates the use of brute force, forced means done involuntarily, and forceful suggests a potential for force |
| Antonyms: | feeble, impotent, ineffective, meek, unforceful, weak |
| Main Entry: | fundamental |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | basic, important |
| Synonyms: | axiological, axiomatic, basal, bottom, bottom-line, cardinal, central, constitutional, constitutive, crucial, elemental, elementary, essential, first, foundational, grass-roots, indispensable, integral, intrinsic, key, major, meat-and-potatoes, necessary, organic, original, paramount, primary, prime, primitive, primordial, principal, radical, requisite, rudimentary, significant, structural, substratal, substrative, supporting, sustaining, theoretical, underived, underlying, vital |
| Antonyms: | additional, advanced, auxiliary, extra, minor, secondary, subordinate, trivial, unimportant |
| Main Entry: | innate |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | inherited, native |
| Synonyms: | congenital, connate, connatural, constitutional, deep-seated, elemental, essential, hereditary, inborn, inbred, indigenous, ingrained, inherent, instinctive, intrinsic, intuitive, natural, normal, regular, standard, typical, unacquired |
| Notes: | the word innate means 'inborn' and should apply to living things; inherent is 'essential, intrinsic' and applies best to nonliving things like ideas |
| Antonyms: | acquired, extrinsic, learned |
| Main Entry: | integral |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | necessary, basic |
| Synonyms: | component, constituent, elemental, essential, fundamental, indispensable, intrinsic, requisite |
| Antonyms: | extrinsic, secondary, supplemental, unnecessary |