primitive

American  

[prim-i-tiv] / ˈprɪm ɪ tɪv /

adjective

1. being the first or earliest of the kind or in existence, especially in an early age of the world.

   primitive forms of life.

   Synonyms:

   pristine, antediluvian, original, primordial, primary, primal, prehistoric

2. early in the history of the world or of humankind.

   Synonyms:

   pristine, antediluvian, original, primordial, primary, primal, prehistoric

3. characteristic of early ages or of an early state of human development.

   primitive toolmaking.

4. Anthropology. (no longer in technical use) of or relating to a preliterate or tribal people having cultural or physical similarities with their early ancestors.

5. unaffected or little affected by civilizing influences; uncivilized.

   primitive passions.

6. being in its earliest period; early.

   the primitive phase of the history of a town.

7. old-fashioned.

   primitive ideas and habits.

8. simple; unsophisticated.

   a primitive farm implement.

9. crude; unrefined.

   primitive living conditions.

10. Linguistics.

    1. of or relating to a form from which a word or other linguistic form is derived; not derivative; original or radical.

    2. of or relating to a protolanguage.

    3. of or relating to a linguistic prime.

11. primary, as distinguished from secondary.

12. Biology.

    1. rudimentary; primordial.

    2. noting species, varieties, etc., only slightly evolved from early antecedent types.

    3. of early formation and temporary, as a part that subsequently disappears.

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noun

1. someone or something primitive.

2. Fine Arts.

   1. an artist of a preliterate culture.

   2. a naive or unschooled artist.

   3. an artist belonging to the early stage in the development of a style.

   4. a work of art by a primitive artist.

3. Mathematics.

   1. a geometric or algebraic form or expression from which another is derived.

   2. a function of which the derivative is a given function.

4. Linguistics. the form from which a given word or other linguistic form has been derived, by either morphological or historical processes, as take in undertake.

primitive British  

/ ˈprɪmɪtɪv /

adjective

1. of or belonging to the first or beginning; original

2. characteristic of an early state, esp in being crude or uncivilized

   a primitive dwelling

3. anthropol denoting or relating to a preliterate and nonindustrial social system

4. biology

   1. of, relating to, or resembling an early stage in the evolutionary development of a particular group of organisms

      primitive amphibians

   2. another word for primordial

5. showing the characteristics of primitive painters; untrained, childlike, or naive

6. geology pertaining to magmas that have experienced only small degrees of fractional crystallization or crystal contamination

7. obsolete of, relating to, or denoting rocks formed in or before the Palaeozoic era

8. obsolete denoting a word from which another word is derived, as for example hope, from which hopeless is derived

9. Protestant theol of, relating to, or associated with a minority group that breaks away from a sect, denomination, or Church in order to return to what is regarded as the original simplicity of the Gospels

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noun

1. a primitive person or thing

2. 1. an artist whose work does not conform to traditional, academic, or avant-garde standards of Western painting, such as a painter from an African or Oceanic civilization

   2. a painter of the pre-Renaissance era in European painting

   3. Also called (for senses 11a, 11c): naive.  a painter of any era whose work appears childlike or untrained

3. a work by such an artist

4. a word or concept from which another word or concept is derived

5. maths a curve, function, or other form from which another is derived

primitive Scientific  

/ prĭm′ĭ-tĭv /

1. Relating to an early or original stage.

2. Having evolved very little from an early type. Lampreys and sturgeon are primitive fishes.

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Related Words

See prime.

Other Word Forms

• nonprimitive adjective
• nonprimitively adverb
• nonprimitiveness noun
• preprimitive adjective
• primitively adverb
• primitiveness noun
• primitivity noun
• pseudoprimitive adjective
• semiprimitive adjective
• unprimitive adjective
• unprimitively adverb
• unprimitiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of primitive

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (noun and adjective) (from Middle French primitif ), from Latin prīmitīvus “first of its kind.” See prime, -itive

Example Sentences

The EU says a primitive form of feta is mentioned in the Odyssey, when the hero of the ancient epic takes cheese from the cave of the cyclops Polyphemus.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

He said that while there is "little solid data" on the Hoveyzeh's warhead, it is thought to use a more "primitive" impact-fuzed high-explosive warhead, meaning it would detonate on or after hitting a target.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

“I lived in the house in the most primitive of scenarios,” she revealed.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

"It's a primitive sport, almost instinctive for human beings," Yuji Ano, president of the tournament's organising committee, told AFP.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

“It would take a miracle to find decent caviar in this primitive land,” he remarked on his way out, “but a plate of smoked herring would do nicely in a pinch.”

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• archaic
• basic
• primeval
• primordial
• pristine
• undeveloped