primitive

1 of 2

adjective

prim·​i·​tive ˈpri-mə-tiv How to pronounce primitive (audio)
1
a
: not derived : original, primary
b
: assumed as a basis
especially : axiomatic
primitive concepts
2
a
: of or relating to the earliest age or period : primeval
the primitive church
b
: closely approximating an early ancestral type : little evolved
primitive mammals
c
: belonging to or characteristic of an early stage of development : crude, rudimentary
primitive technology
d
: of, relating to, or constituting the assumed parent speech of related languages
primitive Germanic
3
a
: elemental, natural
our primitive feelings of vengeanceJohn Mackwood
b
sometimes offensive : of, relating to, or produced by a people or culture that is nonindustrial and often nonliterate and tribal
primitive art
c
: naive
d(1)
: self-taught, untutored
primitive craftsmen
(2)
: produced by a self-taught artist
a primitive painting
primitively adverb
primitiveness noun
primitivity noun

primitive

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: something primitive
specifically : a primitive idea, term, or proposition
b
: a root word
2
a(1)
: an artist of an early period of a culture or artistic movement
(2)
: a later imitator or follower of such an artist
b(1)
: a self-taught artist
(2)
: an artist whose work is marked by directness and naïveté
c
: a work of art produced by a primitive artist
d
: a typically rough or simple usually handmade and antique home accessory or furnishing
3
a
: a member of a primitive people
b
: an unsophisticated person

Examples of primitive in a Sentence

Adjective the time when primitive man first learned to use fire The technology they used was primitive and outdated. The camp had only a primitive outdoor toilet. Noun The museum is known for its collection of American primitives.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved. Joseph J. Kolb, Fox News, 18 July 2017 Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water. OregonLive.com, 12 July 2017 Here's how to tackle a daunting job A primitive drip irrigation system could be cobbled together by running water through an old garden hose that's riddled with holes along its length and has its end plugged. Lee Reich, Detroit Free Press, 7 July 2017 The park offers primitive and RV camping with 41 campsites, 30 of which feature 30- to 50-amp electric, water and sewer. Joe Songer | Jsonger@al.com, AL.com, 22 June 2017 Constructed in front of the stone ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park in Ellicott City, that caveman-evocative set provides a suitably primitive stomping ground for the monstrous Caliban. Mike Giuliano, Howard County Times, 23 June 2017 A lot of the campgrounds are primitive, and lack some common amenities - including water. Jamie Hale, OregonLive.com, 6 July 2017 South Beach Campground, a primitive campground located just south of Kalaloch is open through September 25. Brian J. Cantwell, The Seattle Times, 28 June 2017 Can primitive materials bring us closer to our origins? Daisy Alioto, GQ, 23 June 2017
Noun
Meanwhile, humans have regressed into being primitives that the apes hunt for sport, or feed out of pity from beside their campfire. EW.com, 2 Nov. 2023 But better reasons inhere in the rush of new ideas that have reinvigorated the science of paleontology and forced us to recast murky old primitives as efficient and worthy creatures in their own terms. Stephen Jay Gould, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 By identifying and then chaining together a series of motion primitives, the Amazon researchers have been able to achieve stowing success rates (in the lab) of better than 90 percent. IEEE Spectrum, 22 Feb. 2023 Rather than approaching the river as primitives, who might ponder how the gods created the river, or artists and poets, who would focus on the beauty of the river, our approach is that the river is a resource to generate power. IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2023 Decentralized stablecoins are a crucial financial primitive for any DeFi ecosystem. Leeor Shimron, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2021 And only a primitive would shoot an AR chambered in .223 without a matching .223 riflescope. Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 18 Aug. 2020 Each threadgroup can access groupshared memory but can output vertices and primitives that don't need to correlate with a specific thread in the group. Jim Salter, Ars Technica, 19 Mar. 2020 Skipping primitive instantiation with config tweaks Developers can optimize ray tracing pipelines by skipping unnecessary primitives. Jim Salter, Ars Technica, 19 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'primitive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English prymytyff, primitive "early (of the Christian church), non-corporeal (of the cause of a disease)," borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French primitif "original, primary (of a cause)," borrowed from Medieval Latin prīmitīvus "belonging to the earliest time or state, original," going back to Latin, "early, first-formed," from prīmitus "at first, for the first time, originally" (from prīmus "first, foremost, earliest" + -itus, adverbial suffix of origin) + -īvus -ive — more at prime entry 2

Noun

noun derivative of primitive entry 1; (sense 1b) Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin prīmitīvus, noun derivative of prīmitīvus "primary, original"

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of primitive was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near primitive

Cite this Entry

“Primitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primitive. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

primitive

1 of 2 adjective
prim·​i·​tive ˈprim-ət-iv How to pronounce primitive (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to the earliest age or period
primitive forests
the primitive church
b
: closely resembling an ancient ancestor
a primitive fish
2
: belonging to or characteristic of an early stage of development
primitive tools
3
sometimes offensive : of or relating to a people or culture that lacks a written language and advanced technologies
primitive societies
4
: being or made by a self-taught artist
primitively adverb
primitiveness noun

primitive

2 of 2 noun
1
: something primitive : something basic or original
2
: a member of a primitive people

Medical Definition

primitive

adjective
prim·​i·​tive ˈprim-ət-iv How to pronounce primitive (audio)
1
: closely approximating an early ancestral type : little evolved
2
: belonging to or characteristic of an early stage of development
primitive cells
primitively adverb

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