as in basic
of or relating to the simplest facts or theories of a subject
students who do not have even an elementary knowledge of geography
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elementary
Housed in a decommissioned subway station in downtown Brooklyn, the museum was packed with elementary-school children on a field trip.
—
Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
The initiative, co-championed by home improvement retailer Lowe’s, entails working with elementary, middle and high schools to raise awareness.
—Anne D'innocenzio, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2025
Bernhardson also spent time as an elementary principal in Inver Grove Heights Schools.
—Elliot Mann, Twin Cities, 21 Dec. 2025
Her once bubbly elementary schooler seemed distracted and pulled away from school, her friends and the world.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elementary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elementary
Adjective
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At that point, the operator would recite the most intimate details of a patient’s health history to hook her before launching into a few basic screening questions.—
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Ross argued that allowing local police to provide basic crowd control — rather than restricting coordination — could have reduced risks during recent confrontations.—
Adjective
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There, everyone comes and goes on longboats that have awnings, a row of rudimentary seats, and a small outboard motor.—
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The medical system provides only the most rudimentary care, and hospitals have little to no medicine.—
Adjective
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Episodes are bound together by banal introductory voiceover, in which our narrator recites ominous clichés that, like everything in His & Hers, border on parody.—
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So, with the support of the school for developing an introductory class on archaeology, Harris-Thacker developed one.—
Adjective
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This would be a fundamental acknowledgment that women’s basketball operates at the same elite level.—
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If the regime in Venezuela—without Maduro but still Chavista—rebuffs American demands, will Trump take further military action aimed at more fundamental change, which could plunge the country into factional violence?—
Cite this Entry
“Elementary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elementary. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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