Difference Between Basic and Fundamental

Basic vs Fundamental

The two words basic and fundamental in English language have similar meanings and are very confusing for those who cannot make out the difference between the two. However, there is a subtle difference between the two words as they are used in different contexts. This article will attempt to make it clear in the minds of those who find it hard to choose between basic and fundamental.

Fundamental, primary, basic, elementary, and preliminary are some words that are used almost interchangeably though all are different (somewhat) to each other.

If the police are looking for clues of a suspect, it gets preliminary sketches of the suspect made by artists. Here, you cannot use either basic or fundamental. Preliminary suggests that something is in its first stages and will be developed later. This is why there are preliminary discussions to pave the ground for meaningful talks later on and not basic or fundamental talks. One talks about basic amenities and basic accommodation and not fundamental accommodation. So if a hotel provides bare necessities that are sufficient to spend time, you would say that the hotel provides basic accommodation. It only means that the facilities are of simple and ordinary nature and not very expensive. Similarly you refer to a menu of a restaurant and say that they have a quite basic menu and not fundamental menu to mean that there is not much variety in meals to choose from. Basic is also used to describe the rules and regulations in an organization that are not written and spoken but followed by all the individuals in the organization.

On the other hand, fundamental is the basis upon which theories are built such as fundamental laws of motion. Fundamental refers to the most basic concepts upon which an entire edifice is standing. When you talk about two political parties with opposing views, you say there is a fundamental difference in the outlook of the two parties.