adj · noun · 16 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌɛlɪˈmɛntəɹi/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌɛlɪˈmɛntɹi/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:ĕl'ə-mĕn′tə-rē
General-American:-trē
General-American:/ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/
General-American:/ˌɛləˈmɛntɹi/
rhymes with -ɛntəɹi
rhymes with -ɛntɹi
CMU ARPABET:EH2 L AH0 M EH1 N T R IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:EH2 L AH0 M EH1 N T ER0 R IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 3:EH2 L AH0 M EH1 N CH R IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Very simple.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Relating to an elementary school.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
Fundamental: serving as a building block for more complicated structures or processes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adj
Meaning 5
Fundamental: serving as a building block for more complicated structures or processes.
Relating to a subatomic particle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
adj
Meaning 7
Fundamental: serving as a building block for more complicated structures or processes.
Which performs a row or column operation on another matrix when the two are multiplied; see Elementary matrix on Wikipedia.Wikipedia (Such matrices are called "elementary" because they generate the general linear group).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
adj
Meaning 8
Fundamental: serving as a building block for more complicated structures or processes.
Arising from Vieta's formulas; see Elementary symmetric polynomial on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
adj
Meaning 9
Straightforward, employing only basic techniques; not requiring substantial knowledge (of some particular domain, object, etc.).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
adj
Meaning 10
Straightforward, employing only basic techniques; not requiring substantial knowledge (of some particular domain, object, etc.).
Making no use of complex analysis.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: mostly historical outside the phrase "Elementary number theory"
Topics: mathematics, number-theory, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
adj
Meaning 11
Sublunary; not celestial; belonging to the sublunary sphere, to which the four classical elements (earth, air, fire and water) were confined; composed of or pertaining to these four elements.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
noun
Meaning 12
Ellipsis of elementary school.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
14
adjective
Meaning 14
of or pertaining to or characteristic of elementary school or elementary education
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the elementary grades
elementary teachers
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
15
adjective satellite
Meaning 15
easy and not involved or complicated
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
an elementary problem in statistics
elementary, my dear Watson
a simple game
found an uncomplicated solution to the problem
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: simple, uncomplicated, unproblematic
Antonyms: none provided
16
adjective satellite
Meaning 16
of or being the essential or basic part
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
an elementary need for love and nurturing
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: elemental, primary
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English elementare, from Latin elementārius (“elementary”), from elementum (“one of the four elements of antiquity; fundamentals”) + -ārius (adjective-forming suffix). Cognate with French élémentaire. By surface analysis, element + -ary.
Across languages
Translations
65 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Belarusian:
элемэнта́рны
(eljementárny)
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Bulgarian:
елемента́рен
(elementáren)
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Chinese Mandarin:
基本
(jīběn)
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Danish:
elementær
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Dutch:
elementair
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Esperanto:
elementa
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Finnish:
perus-
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Finnish:
alkeis-
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Finnish:
alkeellinen
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
French:
élémentaire
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Galician:
elemental
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Georgian:
ელემენტარული
(elemenṭaruli)
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
German:
elementar
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Greek:
στοιχειώδης
(stoicheiódis)
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Italian:
elementare
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Japanese:
基本的な
(kihonteki na)
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Korean:
기본적
(gibonjeok)
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Central Kurdish:
سەرەتایی
(seretayî)
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Northern Kurdish:
seretayî
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Latin:
elementārius
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Māori:
whakapū
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Norwegian:
enkelt
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Norwegian Bokmål:
elementær
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Norwegian Bokmål:
grunnleggende
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Norwegian Nynorsk:
elementær
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Norwegian Nynorsk:
grunnleggande
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Norwegian Nynorsk:
grunnleggjande
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Plautdietsch:
eefach
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Polish:
podstawowy
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Polish:
elementarny
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Portuguese:
elementar
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Romanian:
elementar
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Romanian:
fundamental
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Russian:
элемента́рный
(elementárnyj)
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Scottish Gaelic:
sìmplidh
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Spanish:
elementario
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Swedish:
grundlig
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Swedish:
grundläggande
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Swedish:
elementär
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Swedish:
basal
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Ukrainian:
елемента́рний
(elementárnyj)
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Uzbek:
boshlang’ich
— relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something
Bulgarian:
нача́лен
(načálen)
— relating to an elementary school
Chinese Mandarin:
小學的 /小学的
(xiǎoxué de)
— relating to an elementary school
Danish:
folkeskole-
— relating to an elementary school
Finnish:
alkeis-
— relating to an elementary school
Galician:
primaria
— relating to an elementary school
Greek:
στοιχειώδης
(stoicheiódis)
— relating to an elementary school
Italian:
elementare
— relating to an elementary school
Central Kurdish:
سەرەتایی
(seretayî)
— relating to an elementary school
Polish:
podstawowy
— relating to an elementary school
Portuguese:
fundamental
— relating to an elementary school
Romanian:
elementară (școală)
— relating to an elementary school
Russian:
нача́льный
(načálʹnyj)
— relating to an elementary school
Bulgarian:
елемента́рен
(elementáren)
— relating to a subatomic particle
Danish:
elementar-
— relating to a subatomic particle
Finnish:
alkeis-
— relating to a subatomic particle
Galician:
elemental
— relating to a subatomic particle
Greek:
στοιχειώδης
(stoicheiódis)
— relating to a subatomic particle
Italian:
elementare
— relating to a subatomic particle
Polish:
elementarny
— relating to a subatomic particle
Portuguese:
elementar
— relating to a subatomic particle
Romanian:
elementar
— relating to a subatomic particle
Russian:
элемента́рный
(elementárnyj)
— relating to a subatomic particle
Spanish:
elemental
— relating to a subatomic particle
