basic
1 Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or forming a base; fundamental.
a basic principle; the basic ingredient.
- Synonyms:
- underlying, basal, primary, key, essential, elementary
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Chemistry.
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Metallurgy. noting, pertaining to, or made by a steelmaking process basic process in which the furnace or converter is lined with a basic or nonsiliceous material, mainly burned magnesite and a small amount of ground basic slag, to remove impurities from the steel.
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Geology. (of a rock) having relatively little silica.
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Military.
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primary.
basic training.
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of lowest rank.
airman basic.
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Slang.
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(especially of a female) characterized by predictable or unoriginal style, interests, or behavior.
those basic girls who follow trends.
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(of things) boringly predictable or unoriginal.
His lyrics are just so basic.
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noun
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Military.
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a soldier or airman receiving basic training.
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Often basics. something that is fundamental or basic; an essential ingredient, principle, procedure, etc..
to learn the basics of music; to get back to basics.
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Slang. a person, especially a female, who is boringly predictable or unoriginal.
noun
noun
adjective
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of, relating to, or forming a base or basis; fundamental; underlying
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elementary or simple
a few basic facts
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excluding additions or extras
basic pay
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chem
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of, denoting, or containing a base; alkaline
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(of a salt) containing hydroxyl or oxide groups not all of which have been replaced by an acid radical
basic lead carbonate, 2PbCO3.Pb(OH)2
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metallurgy of, concerned with, or made by a process in which the furnace or converter is made of a basic material, such as magnesium oxide
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(of such igneous rocks as basalt) containing between 52 and 45 per cent silica
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military primary or initial
basic training
noun
Usage
What else does basic mean? In slang, basic characterizes someone or something as unoriginal, unexceptional, and mainstream. A basic girl—or basic b*tch as she is often insulted—is said to like pumpkin spice lattes, UGG boots, and taking lots of selfies, for instance.
Other Word Forms
- nonbasic adjective
- quasi-basic adjective
Etymology
Origin of basic1
First recorded in 1835–45; base 1 + -ic
Origin of BASIC2
First recorded in 1965–70; B(eginner's) A(ll-purpose) S(ymbolic) I(nstruction) C(ode)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“These cuts … will force patients to forgo or delay basic dental care, driving completely preventable emergencies into already overcrowded emergency departments.”
From Los Angeles Times
"Unbelievable what it takes to get basic info," Stern writes.
From BBC
This upends the basic arrangement that underwrote great cities—what they are, how they work and who pays for them.
Of these culturally Muslim, rural working classes often credited with wanting a theocracy, my mother says “they just wanted someone to give them their rights. The only thing that united them was basic human needs.”
Saying his party will "do politics differently", he told the conference: "We aim to be known as a team that runs a better government, or quite simply gets the basics right."
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
