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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in barbarian
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of primitive
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
Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025
That's primitive in my opinion.
—Louis Casiano , Michael Ruiz , Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primitive
Adjective
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
Noun
Beyond this star, ALMA also detected molecular outflows from four additional protostars, confirming that star formation is widespread even in these remote, chemically primitive regions.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2025
That's primitive in my opinion.
—Louis Casiano , Michael Ruiz , Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primitive
Adjective
-
Ants display rudimentary counting abilities, can understand the concept of zero and make tools.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The voice performers — including Thomas Lennon, Kyle Mooney, Melissa Villasenor, and Fortune Feimster — are superior to the rudimentary computer animation that probably works better on the small screen.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The piece filled both a madrasa and a caravanserai, placing ancient craft next to modern technology.—
Dada Jovanovic,
ABC News,
28 Sep. 2025
-
But those who study the stars say this is a fact long known by ancient astronomers, and the disconnect is essentially an intentional feature of the zodiac, not a bug.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Wahlberg plays a holy fool in Boogie Nights, our naïve but well-endowed guide through the heyday of theatrical pornography and its decline into something cheaper and tawdrier courtesy of the triumph of VHS.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The passions and dreams that drove the movement can seem inchoate, naïve, and contradictory.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Bautista will have the plum role of the immortal barbarian known as The Kurgen, who has been killing other immortals across the centuries in order to absorb their essence.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Aug. 2025
-
This barbarian conceptualized this atrocity and brought it to reality.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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The piece was enough to identify the prehistoric animal as a species of pterosaur, flying reptiles that ranged in size from modern-day birds to small airplanes.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The titular robotic dinosaurs are machines piloted by humans who, in the new series, must defend Earth from a monstrous alien invasion trying to resurrect its prehistoric army.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Don’t pull over in the roundabout Roundabouts with a single lane of traffic in each direction are fairly simple – yield to traffic in the roundabout, wait for a gap in traffic and go through, Bryson said.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
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This can be as simple as bodyweight movements, resistance bands or dumbbells, focusing on compound/functional movements like squats, pushes and pulls.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The 'Kill Tony' host, Hinchcliffe, famously appeared at last year's massive Netflix roast for Tom Brady and generated buzz for his savage lines aimed at the NFL legend.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Texas is gearing up for war as a savage, flesh-eating fly appears poised for a US invasion and is expanding its range of victims.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This is where Birmingham’s industrial heritage meets the primal spectacle of live fire cooking.—
Rai Mincey,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Ali—or Richard Durham channeling Ali—would write just months after the fight that some part of him had always rebelled against the primal allure of his sport.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primitive. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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