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
Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026
There are nine primitive, tent-only sites without electric access.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 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
For example, synthetic blastoids develop a blastocoel cavity and the three main cell types (epiblast, trophectoderm, and primitive endoderm) within one week, just like natural blastocysts.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026
There are nine primitive, tent-only sites without electric access.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 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
-
Workers often enter deep shafts using rudimentary equipment, while enforcement of rules is carried out through violence.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Iran also spied on Iraqi positions with rudimentary precursors to drones, an early use of one of the regime’s most effective weapons in its attempt to blockade the strait.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The resort is built on the site of an ancient Hawaiian fishing village and during development, an historic Hawaiian trail and several anchialine pools were found.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Scientists think dogs descended from an ancient population of gray wolves somewhere in Europe or Asia.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There is still an almost naïve charm to how Aras speaks about hockey, his new obsession.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Felix is not naïve about this process.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In most academic histories of European imperialism written in this century, the Europeans are the barbarians, killing and raping and looting on an unprecedented scale.—
David A. Bell,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Yet the fact that Native Americans were not Christians but instead animists meant that Europeans viewed them as heathens, pagans, and barbarians, with few claims to the dignity to which Christians were entitled.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The theology in such conflicts usually masks more primal power struggles and still tends to make the wars and warriors more fanatical and bloodthirsty.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
3 Apr. 2026
-
But the primal thrill of watching Rooney take games by the scruff of the neck at will never fade.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Styles for men and women are available -- all with Allbirds design philosophy that's clean, modern and perfectly simple -- lightweight, bouncy and wildly comfortable.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
On April 18, that reverence will look like music, laughter and a line of people waiting for something hot out of the fryer — a simple plate carrying stories from across the world, all landing in one place.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One answer would be that the more savage the storm, the more urgent the need for safe havens.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
This notion was based on outdated presumptions of hillforts as being occupied by violent, prehistoric savages.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The doctoral student identified more than 600 previously unknown sets of Native American dice from 45 prehistoric archaeological sites in the western United States from the Late Pleistocene until after the period of European contact.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
-
While most species evolve dramatically over millennia, giant salamanders represent a direct link to a prehistoric world.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Primitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primitive. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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