caveman
Britishnoun
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a man of the Palaeolithic age; cave dweller
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informal a man who is primitive or brutal in behaviour, etc
Explanation
In books or movies, a caveman is a character based on early prehistoric humans. Cavemen live in caves and hunt with simple weapons like rocks and clubs. You can also use caveman to refer to any crude and uncivilized guy — like your older brother who tries to impress dates with his belching skills. "The Flintstones" is a perfect example of a cartoon caveman stereotype—the characters live with dinosaurs and wear animal hides as clothing. In reality, the early humans who lived in caves and left behind Paleolithic cave paintings existed at a completely different time than dinosaurs. And scholars believe that most humans during this period lived in simple tents or other temporary structures.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was a Caveman, and it was on his ankle.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2024
Michael Kusterman, a former executive at Caveman Foods, has been Alamo CEO since replacing the retiring Shelli Taylor in July.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 13, 2023
Another option would be the dairy’s sampler of five blues: Bluehorn, Caveman, Crater Lake, Oregon and Smokey, without the Rogue River.
From New York Times • Nov. 8, 2021
In October 2017, a nonprofit watchdog group, the Center for Environmental Health, independently tested two InfoWars supplements – Caveman True Paleo Formula and Myco-ZX – and found high levels of lead in both.
From The Guardian • May 2, 2019
"So you're Caveman, now, huh? You like digging holes, Caveman?"
From "Holes" by Louis Sachar
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
