troglodyte
noun
Did you know?
Peer into the etymological cave of troglodyte and you’ll find a trōglē. But don't be afraid. Trōglē may sound like a scary cave-dwelling ogre, but it's actually just a perfectly unintimidating Greek root that means "hole" or "cave." Is troglodyte the only English word to have descended from trōglē? Not exactly. Troglodyte and its related adjective troglodytic (meaning "of, related to, or being a troglodyte") are the only trōglē offspring that are widely used in general English contexts, but another trōglē progeny, the prefix troglo-, meaning "cave-dwelling," is used in scientific contexts to form words like troglobiont ("an animal living in or restricted to caves").
Examples of troglodyte in a Sentence
Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 10 July 2024
The long-standing presumption of progressives has been that their own side is identified with righteousness — with tolerance, reason, and the finest of American traditions — while conservatives are hateful troglodytes who aren’t just wrong, but ill-intentioned.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 31 Oct. 2023
Over three years later, when Hartman returned to host SNL during season 21, the corrupt troglodyte was revived for a final time.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2022
Anyone who questioned its pandemic policies was branded a sociopath and a troglodyte.
—Gabrielle Bauer, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
See all Example Sentences for troglodyte 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'troglodyte.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Troglodyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/troglodyte. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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