primitive

prim·i·tive | \ ˈpri-mə-tiv

How to pronounce primitive (audio)

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Definition of primitive

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : not derived : original, primary

b : assumed as a basis especially : axiomatic primitive concepts

2a : 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

3a : elemental, natural our primitive feelings of vengeance— John Mackwood

b now sometimes offensive : of, relating to, or produced by a people or culture that is nonindustrial and often nonliterate and tribal primitive art

d(1) : self-taught, untutored primitive craftsmen

(2) : produced by a self-taught artist a primitive painting

primitive

Definition of primitive (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : something primitive specifically : a primitive idea, term, or proposition

b : a root word

2a(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

3a : a member of a primitive people

b : an unsophisticated person

Other Words from primitive Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about primitive

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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Adjective the time when primitive man first learned to use fire The technology they used was primitive and outdated.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, "10 year-old trips into million-year-old dinosaur fossil discovery in New Mexico," 18 July 2017 Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water. — OregonLive.com, "20 last-minute places to stay for the solar eclipse in Oregon," 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, "Drip your garden to productivity and health," 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, "The greatest outdoor adventure you can have in each Alabama county," 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, "'The Tempest' is outdoors but hopefully not overhead," 23 June 2017 A lot of the campgrounds are primitive, and lack some common amenities - including water. — Jamie Hale, OregonLive.com, "As fire season, solar eclipse align, Oregon prepares for disaster," 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, "Rialto Beach road to reopen, astronomy sessions set as Olympic National Park marks birthday," 28 June 2017 Can primitive materials bring us closer to our origins? — Daisy Alioto, GQ, "Inside Magazzino, Upstate New York’s Next Great Art Escape," 23 June 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun And only a primitive would shoot an AR chambered in .223 without a matching .223 riflescope. — Andrew Mckean, Outdoor Life, "The 17 Best New Versatile Riflescopes Put to the Test," 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, "DirectX 12 Ultimate brings Xbox Series X features to PC gaming," 19 Mar. 2020 Skipping primitive instantiation with config tweaks Developers can optimize ray tracing pipelines by skipping unnecessary primitives. — Jim Salter, Ars Technica, "DirectX 12 Ultimate brings Xbox Series X features to PC gaming," 19 Mar. 2020 Microsoft is also asking developers to start thinking about dual-screen layouts for Microsoft Edge, with CSS primitives and a JavaScript API. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft begins bringing in developers to build its dual-screen future, including Windows 10X," 22 Jan. 2020 Featuring over 200 dealers, the show offers antiques, vintage jewelry, primitives, garden & architectural elements, mid-century collectibles, memorabilia, Americana, one-of-a-kind finds and a large selection of antiques, retro & vintage furniture. — Luann Gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "Things to do this week in Cincinnati: July 15-21," 14 July 2019 Later watercolors, decades beyond the din of war, capture black subjects as romanticized primitives amid the burgeoning growth of the Caribbean tourist industry — coral diving here, swigging from a coconut there. — BostonGlobe.com, "CAMBRIDGE — “Winslow Homer: Eyewitness” begins with a gamut of the young artist’s fast-and-furious Civil War drawings, which were the visual meat of Harper’s Weekly’s reportage from the era. But really, that’s just curator Ethan Lasser clearing his throat.," 4 Oct. 2019 Since that time, computer scientists have developed a large library of such primitives. — Quanta Magazine, "Privacy by the Numbers: A New Approach to Safeguarding Data," 10 Dec. 2012 Desperately seeking coherence, the author blunders into a binary world-view, divided between civilized softies and pugnacious primitives, wallers and warriors. — Felipe Fernández-armesto, WSJ, "‘Walls: A History of Civilization in Blood and Brick’ Review: . . . and Stay Out!," 13 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'primitive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for primitive

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"

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Dictionary Entries near primitive

Primitive Baptist

Statistics for primitive

Cite this Entry

“Primitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primitive. Accessed 25 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for primitive

primitive

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of primitive

(Entry 1 of 2)

: of, belonging to, or seeming to come from an early time in the very ancient past

: not having a written language, advanced technology, etc.

: very simple and basic : made or done in a way that is not modern and that does not show much skill

primitive

noun

English Language Learners Definition of primitive (Entry 2 of 2)

formal

: an artist who makes art in a simple style that is childlike also : the art made by such an artist

old-fashioned : someone who belongs to a primitive society

See the full definition for primitive in the English Language Learners Dictionary

primitive

prim·i·tive | \ ˈpri-mə-tiv

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Kids Definition of primitive

1 : of or belonging to very early times primitive cultures

2 : of or belonging to an early stage of development primitive tools

primitive

prim·i·tive | \ ˈprim-ət-iv

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Medical Definition of primitive

1 : closely approximating an early ancestral type : little evolved

2 : belonging to or characteristic of an early stage of development primitive cells

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