Neanderthal

[ nee-an-der-thawl, -tawl, -tahl; ney-ahn-der-tahl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Neanderthal man.
2. (often lowercase) Informal. primitive, unenlightened, or reactionary; culturally or intellectually backward.

noun

1. Neanderthal man.
2. (often lowercase) Informal.
   1. an unenlightened or ignorant person; barbarian.
   2. a reactionary; a person with very old-fashioned ideas.

Neanderthal

/ nɪˈændəˌtɑːl /

adjective

1. relating to or characteristic of Neanderthal man
2. primitive; uncivilized
3. informal.
   ultraconservative; reactionary

noun

1. a person showing any such characteristics

Neanderthal

/ nē-ăn′dər-thôl′,-tôl′ /

1. An extinct variety of human that lived throughout Europe and in parts of western Asia and northern Africa during the late Pleistocene Epoch, until about 30,000 years ago. Neanderthals had a stocky build and large skulls with thick eyebrow ridges and big teeth. They usually lived in caves, made flaked stone tools, and were the earliest humans known to bury their dead. Neanderthals were either a subspecies of modern humans ( Homo sapiens neanderthalensis ) or a separate, closely related species ( Homo neanderthalensis ). They coexisted with early modern humans (Cro-Magnons) for several thousand years before becoming extinct, but are not generally believed to have interbred with them.
2. See also Mousterian

Neanderthal

1. The ancient and now extinct relatives of modern humans. Neanderthals lived in Europe about 150,000 years ago and were the earliest form of the human species , Homo sapiens.

Notes

The term Neanderthal is sometimes used to refer to a person who is thought to have primitive or unenlightened ideas: “I tried talking politics to Joe, but he's a real Neanderthal.”

Other Words From

• Ne·ander·thaler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Neanderthal¹

First recorded in 1860–65; after Neanderthal, valley in Germany, near Düsseldorf, where evidence of Neanderthal man was first found

Example Sentences

Modern humans, Neanderthals, and other recent relatives on our human family tree evolved bigger brains much more rapidly than earlier species, a new study of human brain evolution has found.

From Science Daily

Although researchers have found evidence Neanderthals built fires for cooking and manipulating materials, exactly how they procured and processed tar has been a mystery.

From Science Magazine

Given its orbital path, the last time this comet would have been seen in the sky was about 80,000 years ago, during the time of the Neanderthals.

From Los Angeles Times

Lanne’s skull was sought to prove since-discredited theories about Tasmanian Aboriginal people - that they were the missing link between humans and Neanderthals, a distinct race so primitive they didn’t even know how to make fire.

From BBC

Sharing the name of a legendary dwarf in J. R. R. Tolkien's classic fantasy novel "The Hobbit," a Neanderthal now known as Thorin wandered the Earth up to 42,000 years ago.

From Salon