FUNDAMENTAL

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does fundamental mean? 

• FUNDAMENTAL (noun)
  The noun FUNDAMENTAL has 2 senses:

1. any factor that could be considered important to the understanding of a particular business

2. the lowest tone of a harmonic series

  Familiarity information: FUNDAMENTAL used as a noun is rare.

• FUNDAMENTAL (adjective)
  The adjective FUNDAMENTAL has 3 senses:

1. serving as an essential component

2. being or involving basic facts or principles

3. far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect especially on the nature of something

  Familiarity information: FUNDAMENTAL used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FUNDAMENTAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any factor that could be considered important to the understanding of a particular business

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

fundamentals include a company's growth, revenues, earnings, management, and capital structure

Hypernyms ("fundamental" is a kind of...):

factor (anything that contributes causally to a result)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The lowest tone of a harmonic series

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

first harmonic; fundamental; fundamental frequency

Hypernyms ("fundamental" is a kind of...):

harmonic (a tone that is a component of a complex sound)

• FUNDAMENTAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Serving as an essential component

Synonyms:

cardinal; central; fundamental; key; primal

Context example:

computers are fundamental to modern industrial structure

Similar:

important; of import (of great significance or value)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Being or involving basic facts or principles

Synonyms:

fundamental; rudimentary; underlying

Context example:

underlying principles

Similar:

basic (pertaining to or constituting a base or basis)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect especially on the nature of something

Synonyms:

fundamental; profound

Context example:

profound social changes

Similar:

important; significant (important in effect or meaning)

 Context examples 

Fundamental research designed to obtain or increase general knowledge about cancer, performed without the goal of solving or addressing a specific cancer-related issue or condition.

(Basic Cancer Research, NCI Thesaurus)

BCL9 (Lgs homolog, Drosophila) also binds to beta-Catenin, involved in WNT signal transduction pathway control of many fundamental developmental processes.

(B-Cell Lymphoma 9 Protein, NCI Thesaurus)

Fundamental research designed to obtain or increase general scientific knowledge.

(Basic Research, NCI Thesaurus)

The fundamental assumptions underlying an explanation or a relation that provide the foundation for something.

(Basis, NCI Thesaurus)

Plk1, a serine/threonine-protein kinase, is a key regulator of multiple processes fundamental to mitosis and cell division.

(BI 2536, NCI Thesaurus)

TLR9 is a member of the TLR family, which plays a fundamental role in pathogen recognition and activation of innate immunity.

(Allogeneic Renal Cell Carcinoma Vaccine MGN1601, NCI Thesaurus)

It may play a fundamental role in situations where fine interplay between intracellular Ca(2+) and cAMP determines the cellular function.

(Adenylate Cyclase, NCI Thesaurus)

Regulatory focus suggests that there are fundamental motivational differences among people, with two aspects—promotion and prevention—guiding behaviour.

(People with Positive Attitude More Likely to Eat Healthily, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

While they aren’t enough to protect astronauts by themselves, they do have a fundamental effect on the Moon’s appearance.

(NASA Mission Reveals Origins of Moon's 'Sunburn', NASA)

The discovery will provide fundamental information about the universe when it was only 5 percent of its current age.

(Most Distant Black Hole, NASA)