elementary

UK: /ˌɛlɪˈmɛntəri/

US: /ˌɛləˈmɛntəri/

US: (el′ə men′tə rē, -trē)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

el•e•men•ta•ry /ˌɛləˈmɛntəri/   adj. 

1. of or relating to the simplest principles;
   plain:
   The nurse took elementary precautions like boiling the water.
2. of or relating to an elementary school:
   elementary education.
3. Physics of the nature of the most basic particles;
   that cannot be broken down.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

el•e•men•ta•ry  (el′ə men′tə rē, -trē), adj. 

1. pertaining to or dealing with elements, rudiments, or first principles:
   an elementary grammar.
2. of or pertaining to an elementary school:
   elementary teachers.
3. of the nature of an ultimate constituent; simple or uncompounded.
4. pertaining to the four elements, earth, water, air, and fire, or to the great forces of nature;
   elemental.
5. Chemistry of or noting one or more elements.

• Latin elementārius. See element, -ary
• Middle French elementaire)
• late Middle English elementare (1400–50

el•e•men•tar•i•ly  (el′ə men ter′ə lē), adv.  el′e•men′ta•ri•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. Elementary, primary, rudimentary refer to what is basic and fundamental.
  Elementary refers to the introductory, simple, easy facts or parts of a subject that must necessarily be learned first in order to understand succeeding ones:
  elementary arithmetic.
  Primary may mean much the same as elementary;
  however, it usually emphasizes the idea of what comes first even more than that of simplicity:
  primary steps.
  Rudimentary applies to what is undeveloped or imperfect:
  a rudimentary form of government.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

elementary / ˌɛlɪˈmɛntərɪ -trɪ/ adjective

1. not difficult; simple; rudimentary
2. of or concerned with the first principles of a subject; introductory or fundamental
3. another word for elemental5

ˌeleˈmentariness noun