Neanderthal man

American  

noun

1. a member of an extinct subspecies of powerful, physically robust humans, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, that inhabited Europe and western and central Asia c100,000–40,000 b.c.

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Neanderthal man British  

noun

1. a type of primitive man, Homo neanderthalensis, or H. sapiens neanderthalensis, occurring throughout much of Europe in late Palaeolithic times: it is thought that they did not interbreed with other early humans and are not the ancestors of modern humans

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Etymology

Origin of Neanderthal man

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

The specific Neanderthal skeleton that had convinced scientists our ancient cousins walked hunched over, for example, was revealed to have belonged to not just any Neanderthal, but an elderly Neanderthal man with arthritis.

From Slate • May 14, 2025

One of its biggest eruptions took place 39,000 years ago and might have led to the extinction of Neanderthal man, researchers say.

From Reuters • Oct. 5, 2023

It’s like you have Neanderthal man and Homo sapiens living together.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2022

The larynx of Neanderthal man, like the larynx of those great orators the chimpanzees, sat higher than our own.

From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2021

Anyway, Neanderthal man never produced a second genius, so far as we can tell; and that is why, perhaps, his peculiar type of brow-ridge no longer adorns the children of men.

From Progress and History by Marvin, Francis Sydney