26984 words

basic

6 definitions • 9 examples
1
simple and not complicated, so able to provide the base or starting point from which something can develop:

Examples:

I really need to get some basic financial advice.
He only has a basic command of English (= he only knows the most important and simple words and expressions).
The basic (= most important) problem is that they don't talk to each other enough.
It's the most basic model (= it only has the most simple features).
The crisis has led to price rises in basic foodstuffs, such as meat, cheese, and sugar.
2
boring and not unusual or surprising in any way:

Examples:

All the music they like is so basic.
3
what a person earns before other amounts of money, such as payments for working extra hours, are added:

Examples:

She earns a basic salary of £450K per annum.
5
most important or central to something:

Examples:

In physics we study basic principles of force and motion.
We help with basic needs like food and shelter.
6
abbreviation for Beginner's all-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code: a simple language for writing computer programs

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