Primitive Definition & Meaning
primitive
- adjective
- belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness; "the crude weapons and rude agricultural implements of early man"; "primitive movies of the 1890s"; "primitive living conditions in the Appalachian mountains"
- little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type; "archaic forms of life"; "primitive mammals"; "the okapi is a short-necked primitive cousin of the giraffe"
- used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies; "primitive societies"
- of or created by one without formal training; simple or naive in style; "primitive art such as that by Grandma Moses is often colorful and striking"
- noun
- a person who belongs to an early stage of civilization
- a mathematical expression from which another expression is derived
- a word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms; "`pick' is the primitive from which `picket' is derived"
Usage tips for "primitive"
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Generate a verseFrequently asked questions
- What does primitive mean?
- belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness; "the crude weapons and rude agricultural implements of early man"; "primitive movies of the 1890s"; "primitive living conditions in the Appalachian mountains" little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type; "archaic forms of life"; "primitive mammals"; "the okapi is a short-necked primitive cousin of the giraffe" used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies
- What part of speech is primitive?
- Primitive is an adjective and a noun.
- How many definitions does primitive have?
- Primitive has 7 definitions across 2 parts of speech (adjective, noun).