primitivism

[ prim-i-ti-viz-uhm ]

noun
  1. a recurrent theory or belief, as in philosophy or art, that the qualities of primitive or chronologically early cultures are superior to those of contemporary civilization.

  2. the state of being primitive: the primitivism of the Stone Age peoples.

  1. the qualities or style characterizing primitive art.

Origin of primitivism

1
First recorded in 1860–65; primitive + -ism

Other words from primitivism

  • prim·i·tiv·ist, noun
  • prim·i·tiv·is·tic, adjective
  • un·prim·i·tiv·is·tic, adjective

Words Nearby primitivism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use primitivism in a sentence

  • All the time we are struggling between the rankest primitivism and the most delicate intrigue.

    The Yellow Crayon | E. Phillips Oppenheim

British Dictionary definitions for primitivism

primitivism

/ (ˈprɪmɪtɪˌvɪzəm) /


noun
  1. the condition of being primitive

  2. the notion that the value of primitive cultures is superior to that of the modern world

  1. the principles, characteristics, etc, of primitive art and artists

Derived forms of primitivism

  • primitivist, noun, adjective
  • primitivistic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for primitivism

primitivism

A style of art that attempts to imitate the art of primitive cultures or of children.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.