caveman
Americannoun
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cavemen
plural
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a cave dweller, especially of the Stone Age.
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a man who behaves in a rough, primitive manner, especially toward women.
noun
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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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of caveman
First recorded in 1860–65
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.
See Examples For:
They knock people sideways before receding into the ocean of imagination that’s existed since the first caveman looked up at the stars and said, “Funny story about those.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025
Despite a short stint as a gifted student on school sitcom "Head of the Class" and an appearance in caveman comedy "Encino Man," the young Quan largely disappeared from our screens, if not our memories.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2025
"I gotta go into my cave and become a caveman," he told CBS news.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2024
That original “Ghosts,” with three seasons streaming on Max, features different but still recognizable archetypes: a caveman instead of a Viking; a World War II officer instead of a Revolutionary War soldier.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2023
“This way, when you go back in time, you can recognize people, so you’ll know who you’ve got to speak Neanderthal to, and who just uses regular caveman talk.”
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Lyra commented how badly eclipses must have messed cavemen up.
From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2024
At which point, they had to come running toward the roo, bellowing and brandishing their golf clubs like cavemen on the fifth hole, just to get it to stop charging.
From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2023
"Readers can expect to meet characters ranging from cavemen to gnomes, wizards to ghosts, and read about time travel tourism, the haunting of Council offices, and a visitor from another planet," the publisher added.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2023
He set five peculiar creatures — something like futuristic cavemen — gyrating across the stage, dressed head-to-toe in dark gray unitards, designed by Rauschenberg, with reflectors shining on their heads and hands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2018
The war was as remote to her as cavemen and dinosaurs.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
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.
