Definition of TROGLODYTES

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

the troglodytes who believed that women had no place in the military, except perhaps as nurses

Recent Examples on the Web Their species, Pan troglodytes, is classified endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. — David Quammen, National Geographic, "‘I am scared all the time’: Chimps and people are clashing in rural Uganda," 8 Nov. 2019 Set foot inside the amazing cave dwellings known as troglodyte homes—charming houses built in and around cliff-side caverns. — National Geographic, "France Family Journey: From Paris to Normandy and Beyond," 17 June 2019 The animals include short-faced bears known as Arctotherium wingei and the wolf-like Protocyon troglodytes. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Divers Found Giant Bear and Wolf Remains in an Underwater Cave," 2 May 2019 In tourist centers like Alcalá del Júcar, visitors flock to see medieval troglodyte caves, some of which have now been turned into bars and restaurants. — Eric Asimov, New York Times, "The Grape From Manchuela," 21 June 2018 The spelunkers of The Descent are stuck in utter darkness below the Appalachian mountains even without cannibal troglodytes; to be left alone out in the Atlantic Ocean, as in Open Water, is awful enough without sharks. — Asher Elbein, The Atlantic, "The Terror Is More Than a Chilling Monster Show," 1 May 2018 Of course, the gesture was not made without the troglodytes crawling up from the dark, dank holes. — Breanna Edwards, The Root, "Vermont High School Flies Black Lives Matter Flag to Signal Commitment to Inclusivity," 2 Feb. 2018 The obvious solution is to convince your voters not to nominate troglodytes. — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, "Ethics Issues? Just Torpedo the Ethics Committee!," 25 Jan. 2018 The troglodytes and the unhappy housewives and the shallow, pedantic millennials will start to glow and shimmer. — Heather Havrilesky, The Cut, "‘I’m Staring Into the Void!’," 13 Sep. 2017

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

Learn More about troglodyte

Listen to Our Podcast about troglodyte

Dictionary Entries near troglodyte

Statistics for troglodyte

Last Updated

9 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Troglodyte.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/troglodytes. Accessed 9 December 2019.