primitivism

[ prim-i-ti-viz-uhm ]

/ ˈprɪm ɪ tɪˌvɪz əm /

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noun

a recurrent theory or belief, as in philosophy or art, that the qualities of primitive or chronologically early cultures are superior to those of contemporary civilization.

the state of being primitive: the primitivism of the Stone Age peoples.

the qualities or style characterizing primitive art.

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Origin of primitivism

First recorded in 1860–65; primitive + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM primitivism

prim·i·tiv·ist, nounprim·i·tiv·is·tic, adjectiveun·prim·i·tiv·is·tic, adjective

Words nearby primitivism

primitive cell, primitive church, Primitive Friend, Primitive Methodist, primitive polynomial, primitivism, Primitivo, primly, primo, Primo de Rivera, Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use primitivism in a sentence

He devotes an entire chapter to the co-existence of “primitivism and technology.”
The Smartest Book About Our Digital Age Was Published in 1929|Ted Gioia|January 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In English letters Wordsworth in his earlier verse illustrated the same sentimental primitivism.
Preaching and Paganism|Albert Parker Fitch
Yours is the faineant spirit of the decadent, masquerading in the garb of a sham primitivism.
A Lost Leader|E. Phillips Oppenheim
In an age when a fog of dreary sameness comes over all the civilised world, the Balkans have a great asset in their primitivism.
The Balkan Peninsula|Frank Fox

And this theory is the excuse for all the attempts at primitivism of which we have lately seen so much.
The Practice and Science Of Drawing|Harold Speed
All the time we are struggling between the rankest primitivism and the most delicate intrigue.
The Yellow Crayon|E. Phillips Oppenheim

British Dictionary definitions for primitivism

primitivism

/ (ˈprɪmɪtɪˌvɪzəm) /

noun

the condition of being primitive

the notion that the value of primitive cultures is superior to that of the modern world

the principles, characteristics, etc, of primitive art and artists

Derived forms of primitivism

primitivist, noun, adjectiveprimitivistic, adjective

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

Cultural definitions for primitivism

primitivism

A style of art that attempts to imitate the art of primitive cultures or of children.