Neanderthal

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

/ niˈæn dərˌθɔl, -ˌtɔl, -ˌtɑl; neɪˈɑn dərˌtɑl /

adjective

of or relating to Neanderthal man.

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

noun

Neanderthal man.

(often lowercase) Informal.

an unenlightened or ignorant person; barbarian.
a reactionary; a person with very old-fashioned ideas.

Also Ne·an·der·tal

[nee-an-der-tawl, -tahl; ney-ahn-der-tahl] /niˈæn dərˌtɔl, -ˌtɑl; neɪˈɑn dərˌtɑl/ (for defs 1, 3).

Origin of Neanderthal

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

Related formsNe·an·der·thal·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for neanderthal

Early on, the sexual protagonist complains that her Molson-drinking husband is pretty much an incompetent Neanderthal.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If you think of yourself as more than a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal, you can stand up and be respectful.
Hey, Creeps, ‘Compliments’ Are Harassment, Too|Tauriq Moosa|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“He was no Neanderthal,” says former U.S. senator Richard Bryan.
The Cowboy Sheriff of Las Vegas Rides Into ‘Mob Museum’|John L. Smith|June 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Scientists extract complete Neanderthal genome from fossil—97 percent match to A&E programming.
Up to a Point: 2013 in Review and Predictions for 2014|P. J. O’Rourke|January 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

There have been many posts lately about countries with maternity/paternity leave, it's depressing how Neanderthal America seems.
Why I Choose to Be Child-Free: Readers Share Their Stories|Harry Siegel|February 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
For the Neanderthal man vanished from the scene long before the beginning of recorded history.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, May, 1930|Various
None of these things are clearly found in conjunction with the Neanderthal race.
The Story of Evolution|Joseph McCabe
The brain of Neanderthal man was known to be of large size even when estimated from the original skullcap of the Neanderthal type.
Men of the Old Stone Age|Henry Fairfield Osborn
Outline drawings of the two skulls are compared with the corresponding contour of the Neanderthal calvaria by Klaatsch.
Prehistoric Man|W. L. H. Duckworth
The Neanderthal man inherited a stone culture which was already of great antiquity.
The Story of Evolution|Joseph McCabe

British Dictionary definitions for neanderthal

Neanderthal

/ (nɪˈændəˌtɑːl) sometimes not capital /

adjective

relating to or characteristic of Neanderthal man

primitive; uncivilized

informal ultraconservative; reactionary

noun

a person showing any such characteristics

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

Word Origin and History for neanderthal

Neanderthal

adj.

1861, in reference to a type of extinct hominid, from German Neanderthal "Neander Valley," name of a gorge near Düsseldorf where humanoid fossils were identified in 1856. The place name is from the Graecized form of Joachim Neumann (literally "new man," Greek *neo-ander), 1650-1680, German pastor, poet and hymn-writer, who made this a favorite spot in the 1670s. Adopting a classical form of one's surname was a common practice among educated Germans in this era. As a noun, by 1915; as a type f a big, brutish, stupid person from 1926.

Science definitions for neanderthal

Neanderthal

[ nē-ăn′dər-thôl′, -tôl′ ]

Neandertal

(nē-ăn′dər-tôl′)

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. See also Mousterian.

Culture definitions for neanderthal

Neanderthal

[ (nee-an-duhr-thawl, nee-an-duhr-tawl) ]

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.

Note

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.”