zasadniczy

Zasadniczy is a Polish adjective used to describe something fundamental, essential, or principal. It denotes the core or basis of a matter rather than secondary or incidental aspects. The word derives from zasada, meaning principle or rule, with the adjectival suffix -iczny, giving a sense of “pertaining to a principle.” In usage, zasadniczy conveys a formal or technical tone and is common in academic, legal, and policy language as well as everyday speech. It is often paired with nouns to mark the most important or central feature, for example: zasadniczy problem (a fundamental problem), różnica zasadnicza (a fundamental difference), zmiana zasadnicza (a major/structural change).

In grammar, zasadniczy is an adjective and thus agrees with its noun in gender, number, and case, following standard Polish declension. It contrasts with synonyms like podstawowy and fundamentalny, and with antonyms such as poboczny or dodatkowy, which refer to secondary or incidental aspects.

Examples include: “To jest zasadniczy warunek umowy” (This is a fundamental condition of the contract) and “Różnice między teorią a praktyką są zasadnicze” (The differences between theory and practice are fundamental). The nuance of zasadniczy is that it marks what is essential to the matter at hand rather than what is merely initial or superficial.