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
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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
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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
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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
Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
The 2,200-acre primitive campground and riparian zone, within the Tonto National Forest about 60 miles east of Phoenix, also lies over one of the nation's largest remaining bodies of copper ore.
—Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 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
This latest iteration of the conflict was also among its most primitive.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
The 2,200-acre primitive campground and riparian zone, within the Tonto National Forest about 60 miles east of Phoenix, also lies over one of the nation's largest remaining bodies of copper ore.
—Debra Utacia Krol, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primitive
Adjective
-
Those humans who were good at it, even in its most rudimentary forms, would have a real advantage.—
Elissa Strauss,
The Atlantic,
28 Aug. 2025
-
But most users do not yet have passkeys on their accounts and still rely on passwords, perhaps with some rudimentary form of 2FA.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The friends meander through leafy suburban life, charting a story about Judo, ancient Rome, first loves and the expansion of the Universe.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Chiricahua National Monument Located in the southeastern corner of Arizona, the 12,000-acre park features an uncanny collection of gravity defying rock formations, the result of an ancient volcanic event.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Their attempts at political discourse often veered toward the group speaking in vague, naïve universalisms.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
4 Sep. 2025
-
At times on Saturday, Bremen were terribly naive, exhibiting all the fragility expected of a team built from inexperienced players.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
2 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
-
While Canada plays host to fascinating megafauna spanning from the polar bear to the gray wolf to the muskox, there’s one park in particular that offers a deep dive into the nation’s prehistoric past.—
Jared Ranahan,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
According to Hamilton’s study, freely roaming bison in Yellowstone National Park—the only place in the lower 48 where bison have continuously free-ranged since prehistoric times—play a pivotal role in the ecosystem.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
With just a few chairs, a handful of tables and a simple tent, the setting was intimate but filled with love and intention.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
-
And one of these, for those of us accustomed to British conventions but who follow the game in continental Europe, is the simple passage of time.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
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Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2023
Adjective
-
But Foniadakis demands movement that is far more raw and primal.—
David Lyman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Narrating audiobooks today is the closest thing to that primal art form.—
Adam Verner
September 3,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primitive. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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