primitive
adjective
1. belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness
- primitive movies of the 1890s
- primitive living conditions in the Appalachian mountains
Similar word(s): early, crude, rude
2. little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type
- primitive mammals
- the okapi is a short-necked primitive cousin of the giraffe
Similar word(s): early, archaic
3. used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies
- primitive societies
Similar word(s): noncivilised, noncivilized
4. of or created by one without formal training; simple or naive in style
- primitive art such as that by Grandma Moses is often colorful and striking
Similar word(s): untrained, naive
Sentences with primitive as an adjective:
- primitive innocence;
- a primitive style of dress
- a primitive verb
noun
1. a person who belongs to an early stage of civilization
Definition categories: person, individual, mortal, somebody, someone, soul
2. a mathematical expression from which another expression is derived
Definition categories: communication, expression, formula
3. a word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms
- `pick' is the primitive from which `picket' is derived
Definition categories: communication, word