troglodyte

American  

[trog-luh-dahyt] / ˈtrɒg ləˌdaɪt /

noun

1. a prehistoric cave dweller.

2. a person of degraded, primitive, or brutal character.

3. a person living in seclusion.

4. a person unacquainted with affairs of the world.

5. an animal living underground.

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troglodyte British  

/ ˈtrɒɡləˌdaɪt, ˌtrɒɡləˈdɪtɪk /

noun

1. a cave dweller, esp one of the prehistoric peoples thought to have lived in caves

2. informal a person who lives alone and appears eccentric

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Other Word Forms

• troglodytic adjective
• troglodytical adjective
• troglodytism noun

Etymology

Origin of troglodyte

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin trōglodyta, from Greek trōglodýtēs “one who creeps into holes, cave dweller,” equivalent to trōglo- (combining form of trṓglē “a hole formed by gnawing”; trogon ) + dý(ein) “to creep into” + -tēs agent suffix

Example Sentences

Students and administrators alike hate him, and the feeling is mutual; terms Hunham describes his overprivileged charges with range from “genuine troglodytes” to “snarling Visigoths.”

From Los Angeles Times

It doesn’t mean all men are violent troglodytes, or that women don’t use guns, too.

From Seattle Times

I believe I once heard him utter the word troglodyte.

From Washington Times

In lieu of embodying these questions, Stallone’s character, an apathetic, self-proclaimed troglodyte, glumly flattens a toaster with his bare hands.

From New York Times

It is peekaboo, a game humans have played with our children, possibly from the age of troglodytes, because troglodytes loved their children, too.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• hermit