prim·i·tiv·ism
ˈpri-mə-ti-ˌvi-zəm 
1
: primitive practices or procedures
also
: a primitive quality or state
2
a
: belief in the superiority of a simple way of life close to nature
b
: belief in the superiority of nonindustrial society to that of the present
3
: the style of art of primitive peoples or primitive artists
"
variants
or primitivistic
¦⸗⸗⸗¦vistik
-tēk
: of, relating to, or characteristic of primitivism or primitivists
primitivistically
adverb
-tə̇k(ə)lē
Examples of primitivism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 June 2026
There’s always been an underpinning of organic modernism and neo primitivism in their work that is a great pairing with the Loewe DNA.
—Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
But even though people working the land never doubted the value of fire in sustaining their livelihoods, elites in the New World often echoed those of the Old World who distrusted and feared fire as messy, dangerous and wasteful, a stigma of primitivism.
—Stephen Pyne, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
Which makes Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, with its pounding, pulsing, chattering, wailing primitivism and folksongish tunes, a perfect contemporary soundtrack.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 12 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for primitivism
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Noun
As the title suggests, Music In Continuous Motion picks up right where its predecessor left off, with Orcutt assembling overdubbed guitar lines into brief, interlocking pieces that balance rough-hewn primitivism against painterly precision.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 June 2026
There’s always been an underpinning of organic modernism and neo primitivism in their work that is a great pairing with the Loewe DNA.
—Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
But even though people working the land never doubted the value of fire in sustaining their livelihoods, elites in the New World often echoed those of the Old World who distrusted and feared fire as messy, dangerous and wasteful, a stigma of primitivism.
—Stephen Pyne, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024
Which makes Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, with its pounding, pulsing, chattering, wailing primitivism and folksongish tunes, a perfect contemporary soundtrack.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 12 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for primitivism
Cite this Entry
“Primitivism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primitivism. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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