1
as in rudimentary
belonging to or characteristic of an early level of skill or development
primitive wooden tools were used before the Iron Age
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ancient
relating to or occurring near the beginning of a process, series, or time period
a primitive period in church history when members still lived in communes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in naive
lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment
her taste in art was still primitive, but she knew schlock when she saw it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in barbarian
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of primitive
Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 14 May 2026
Analysts note Iran was able to penetrate US air defenses in the Persian Gulf with relatively primitive technology, including low-cost Shahed drones and lower-cost ballistic missiles.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Quanta Magazine, 1 Aug. 2024
Meanwhile, humans have regressed into being primitives that the apes hunt for sport, or feed out of pity from beside their campfire.
—EW.com, 2 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for primitive
Adjective
The James Webb Space Telescope spotted the most primitive galaxy ever seen.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 14 May 2026
Analysts note Iran was able to penetrate US air defenses in the Persian Gulf with relatively primitive technology, including low-cost Shahed drones and lower-cost ballistic missiles.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Noun
It can be used to achieve a lot of other cryptographic primitives.
—Quanta Magazine, 1 Aug. 2024
Meanwhile, humans have regressed into being primitives that the apes hunt for sport, or feed out of pity from beside their campfire.
—EW.com, 2 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for primitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primitive
Adjective
-
Charley can read but can’t write well, his fine motor skills rudimentary.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
26 May 2026
-
Each blip from his Korg MS-20 synthesizer resolves like an individual pixel on a rudimentary PC monitor, fitting for a track that dropped at the dawn of mass peer-to-peer file sharing.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
An ancient mass grave in the Carpathian Basin was found to contain girls killed by blows to the head yet buried respectfully.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
-
The spine of our house was a 60-foot beam that ran the length of the basement ceiling, hand-carved from the trunk of an ancient Douglas fir.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Sokoloff seems to believe that his oversight will be more welcomed at city hall while history tells us that this is deeply naive.—
Rafael Perez,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
-
Trusting politicians with that spending record to stop at taxing billionaires is reckless and naive.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
In the series adaptation, from creator, executive producer and co-showrunner Turner (Up In The Air, X-Men First Class), a ruthless and crass barbarian is cursed to only use his violence for good, which sends him, his talking axe and a young witch on a road of self discovery, redemption and revenge.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
-
Created by Mike Moreci and Nathan Gooden and edited by Adrian Wassel, Barbaric centers on a ruthless and crass barbarian who is cursed to only use his violence for good, which sends him, his talking axe and a young witch, on a road of self-discovery, redemption and revenge.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
While the immortal jellyfish evokes our wonder and curiosity, the deep sea and its creatures can often stir a deep, primal fear in us.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
The survival-horror movie comes from two Spanish short-film veterans with Goya nominations and long festival track records, turning bull-running iconography into primal genre material.—
Emiliano de Pablos,
Variety,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
In 2015, Lynette was arrested on charges of assault and battery/simple assault.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
28 May 2026
-
When Stagg’s calculations lead him to conclude that an almighty storm is set to break on June 5, 1944 — the day originally earmarked for the Normandy landings — after a long period of balmy calm, potentially scuppering the entire vast project, his simple but urgent advice is to wait a day.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
The Indians in Westerns had war paint and whooped like savages.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
-
Nature can be a lot of things—beautiful, bloody, sweet, savage.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
The eggs are believed to date back 72 million years ago to the Late Cretaceous period, when the region was part of the Ibero-Armorican Island, a prehistoric landmass made up of modern-day Spain, Portugal and southern France.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
23 May 2026
-
Great hordes of prehistoric-looking horseshoe crabs also are coming in to spawn.—
Charles Seabrook,
AJC.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Primitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primitive. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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