primal

adjective

pri·​mal ˈprī-məl 

1

: original, primitive

… village life continued in its primal innocence.

—Van Wyck Brooks

2

: first in importance : primary

Synonyms of primal

• main
• greatest
• primary
• highest
• predominant
• dominant
• foremost
• big
• first
• central

Examples of primal in a Sentence

the primal theme of the essay is toleration of religious diversity

there was a period of primal idealism after the founding of the republic and before the rise of partisan politics

Recent Examples on the Web

The primal bond between parent and child was broken for the sake of an extractive and absurdly unnecessary transaction, or perhaps on behalf of an equally primal urge to punish the wayward and the weak. —Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025

There are guns, horses, ghosts, a primal struggle for survival in hostile terrain, family feuds and a steadily intensifying sense of mortal threat, as Old Porch’s ambition and psychopathy escalate the drama. —Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025

The result is a ragged primal scream of a film — not a cry for help, but rather, a bellow of maternal rage. —Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 6 Nov. 2025

Museums frustrate the primal desire to touch the art — all thatsensuous marble and rippling brushstrokes, off-limits! —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from prime entry 1 + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing primal

• primal scream therapy

Rhymes for primal

• thymol
• ependymal
• mesenchymal
• lachrymal
• lacrimal

Kids Definition

primal

adjective

pri·​mal ˈprī-məl 

1

: of or relating to the first period or state : primitive

2

: first in importance : basic