basic

English

Etymology

base +‎ -ic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbeɪsɪk/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪsɪk
• Homophone: BASIC
• Hyphenation: ba‧sic

Adjective

basic (comparative more basic, superlative most basic)

1. Necessary, essential for life or some process.

   Flour is a basic ingredient of bread.

   • 2019 January 24, Tara Law, “There’s a Food Pantry at the Coast Guard Academy. How the Shutdown Is Causing Special Pain for Service Members”, in Time‎:

     Over the past few weeks, U.S. Coast Guard service members, civilian employees and their families have had to scramble to pay for basic necessities. Many have taken donations of food and toiletries from their communities, and frantically called their banks and credit unions to try to avert financial disaster.

   • 2020 September 21, “Breaking Through the Internet Blockade”, in Minghui‎:

     Having access to the truth is a basic right of the general public.

2. Elementary, simple, fundamental, merely functional.

   The Hotel Sparta’s accommodation is very basic.

3. (chemistry) Of or pertaining to a base; having a pH greater than 7.
4. (informal) Unremarkable or uninteresting; boring; uncool.
   • 2013, Sam Stryker, "Why Does Everyone Hate Anne Hathaway?", The Observer (University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College), Volume 46, Issue 101, 1 March 2013, page 11:

     I'm not saying people are jealous of Hathaway because she is so perfect. Yes, she does have it all — husband, healthy career, good looks. But she doesn't do anything in an "awesome" way. She's basic.

   • 2014 February 3, Trevor Thrall, “Firing Line: Rowling says ‘JK,’ Ron and Hermione not meant to be”, in The Daily Campus, volume 99, number 54, Southern Methodist University, page 4:

     And what can be said about Ginny? She’s basic. My guess is that she spends her time drinking pumpkin spice lattes and watching “Pretty Little Liars.” The Chosen One is way out of her quidditch league.

   • 2015, Lily Kunda, "A New Track On Hip-Hipocrisy", The Marlin Chronicle (Virginia Wesleyan College), 26 February 2015, page 7:

     "I couldn't get into it, I could barely understand what he's saying – it had too much cursing and explicit language," said Cortnee Brandon. "I think his lyrics are easy...he's basic. Kendrick Lamar is kind of overrated."

   • 2017, Angela Nagle, chapter 7, in Kill All Normies, Zero Books, →ISBN:

     It [the online far right] feels full of righteous contempt for anything mainstream, conformist, basic.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:bare-bones
• (chemistry): alkaline

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of "chemistry"): acidic

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

basic (plural basics)

1. A necessary commodity, a staple requirement.

   Rice is a basic for many Asian villagers.

2. An elementary building block, e.g. a fundamental piece of knowledge.

   Arithmetic is a basic for the study of mathematics.

   I know the basics of sailing and would love to learn more.

3. (military) Basic training.
   • 2004 November 9, Bungie, Halo 2, spoken by Avery Johnson (David Scully), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox, level/area: The Armory:

     When I shipped out for basic, the Orbital Defense Grid was all theory and politics.

   The drill sergeants gave him hell in basic.

Translations

References

Anagrams

• SABIC

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English BASIC.

Noun

basic m (invariable)

1. (computing) BASIC

Anagrams

• basci, bisca

Occitan

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

basic m (feminine singular basica, masculine plural basics, feminine plural basicas)

1. basic