Neanderthal

Also Ne·an·der·tal

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

adjective

1. of or relating to Neanderthal man.

2. (often lowercase),  primitive, unenlightened, or reactionary; culturally or intellectually backward.

noun

1. Neanderthal man.

2. (often lowercase)

   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

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.

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 Word Forms

• Neanderthaler 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

The team also concluded that Neanderthals, our extinct human relatives, likely kissed as well.

Read more on Science Daily

The same research concluded that Neanderthals may have kissed too – and that humans and Neanderthals may even have smooched one another.

Read more on BBC

The use of such lists goes back to the days of antiquity; for all we know there were well-organized Neanderthals jotting their daily schedules on the walls of caves.

Read more on Literature

The study -- published in Science Advances -- also offers a new angle on why modern humans ultimately surpassed Neanderthals.

Read more on Science Daily

An international team of researchers has identified a previously unknown Neanderthal site on the southern edge of the Iberian Peninsula, located along Portugal's Algarve coast.

Read more on Science Daily