foundational
adjective
foun·da·tion·al
fau̇n-ˈdā-sh(ə-)nəl 
: of, relating to, or forming or serving as a base or foundation : fundamental
foundational principles/doctrines
These foundational volumes proved to be, each in its own way, enabling gestures for the growth of sophisticated theories and critical practices in African, Caribbean, and African American literatures.—
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Property was, in a sense, foundational to culture, since English political economy rested on the private ownership of land, and the political economy, in turn, largely structured social relations.—Jill Lepore
Jill LeporePhilosophy is a foundational discipline. Not only does it do the spadework that makes the construction of other disciplines possible; it also pays constant attention to the foundations of those disciplines as they are practiced.—Cognitive Science
Cognitive Science
foundationally
adverb
Examples of foundational in a Sentence
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Amos Poe, a foundational member of New York's underground filmmaking world, died Thursday at 76.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
The eclipses on February 17th and August 12th, along with Pluto’s transit in the ancestral and foundational sector of your chart, urge you to maintain a healthy balance between your career and home life.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 26 Dec. 2025
And foundational skills like problem solving and communication are consistently prioritized by employers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 25 Dec. 2025
These early classification methods were rooted in racist pseudoscience and would later become foundational to Nazi racial ideology (aka eugenics).
—Hendra Jacobs, Allure, 23 Dec. 2025
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Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
The eclipses on February 17th and August 12th, along with Pluto’s transit in the ancestral and foundational sector of your chart, urge you to maintain a healthy balance between your career and home life.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 26 Dec. 2025
And foundational skills like problem solving and communication are consistently prioritized by employers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 25 Dec. 2025
These early classification methods were rooted in racist pseudoscience and would later become foundational to Nazi racial ideology (aka eugenics).
—Hendra Jacobs, Allure, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foundational
Cite this Entry
“Foundational.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foundational. Accessed 3 Jan. 2026.
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