primitivism

[ prim-i-ti-viz-uh m ]

/ ˈprɪm ɪ tɪˌvɪz əm /

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.

Nearby words

primitive gut, primitive methodist, primitive node, primitive polynomial, primitive streak, primitivism, primitivo, primo, primo de rivera, primo de rivera y orbaneja, primogenitor

Origin of primitivism

First recorded in 1860–65; primitive + -ism

Related forms

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

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

Examples from the Web for primitivism

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
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
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

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

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

Culture definitions for primitivism

primitivism

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