FUNDAMENTAL

[adjective] - forming the base, from which everything else originates; more important than anything elseThe school is based on the fundamental principle that each child should develop its full potential.We need to make fundamental changes to the way in which we treat our environment.Psychologist Jane Firbank sees fundamental differences between male and female approaches to negotiation.Has science really answered any of the fundamental questions of life?It is one of the fundamental flaws of our education system that it only caters for a certain type of intelligence.Wherever illiteracy is a problem, it's as fundamental a problem as getting enough to eat or a place to sleep.Diversity is of fundamental importance to all ecosystems and all economies.The commission said yesterday that fundamental rights for workers should now be written into the treaty.Many officials are becoming convinced that the time is right for a fundamental reappraisal of European strategy.Some understanding of grammar is fundamental to learning a language.