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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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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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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as in barbarian
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of primitive
Mike Giuliano, Howard County Times, 23 June 2017
A lot of the campgrounds are primitive, and lack some common amenities - including water.
—Jamie Hale, OregonLive.com, 6 July 2017
EW.com, 2 Nov. 2023
But better reasons inhere in the rush of new ideas that have reinvigorated the science of paleontology and forced us to recast murky old primitives as efficient and worthy creatures in their own terms.
—Stephen Jay Gould, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
See all Example Sentences for primitive 
Adjective
Constructed in front of the stone ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park in Ellicott City, that caveman-evocative set provides a suitably primitive stomping ground for the monstrous Caliban.
—Mike Giuliano, Howard County Times, 23 June 2017
A lot of the campgrounds are primitive, and lack some common amenities - including water.
—Jamie Hale, OregonLive.com, 6 July 2017
Noun
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
But better reasons inhere in the rush of new ideas that have reinvigorated the science of paleontology and forced us to recast murky old primitives as efficient and worthy creatures in their own terms.
—Stephen Jay Gould, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
See all Example Sentences for primitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primitive
Adjective
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The Interaction Design Institute in Turin, Italy, created Arduino in 2005 to provide people of all ages with an easy, inexpensive way to build electronic devices and control them with rudimentary code.Bob Beacham, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2024
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Most online immigration tools so far have been rudimentary, and that’s often left legal immigrants complaining of long wait times, contradictory instructions, and a web presence that doesn't help with things like green card renewal or family petitions.David Nath, Fox News, 19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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This culinary adventure includes ancient cooking methods that lead to soulful cuisine and an environment that captures the excitement of Tel Aviv and Miami.Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
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All three are living together, briefly, in a Lower East Side condo to wait at their dad’s deathbed, bickering over groceries and reopening ancient familial wounds.Rachel Handler, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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But there is this naive expectation of the entertainment industry that Tom Hanks is going to invite you in, and that just doesn’t exist.Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
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Through some naive sleuthing and meddling, the girls manage to bring a corporate retreat out to the ranch in a last-ditch effort to prove there’s still a demand for Natty’s ranch.Sara Belcher, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Faces painted white, surrounded by concubines of every gender, Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) are utterly taken with the barbarian who can recite Virgil while covered in another man’s blood, after Macrinus presents Lucius in a private showcase.Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
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Let the front office barbarians swap one player for another.Tim Britton, The Athletic, 30 July 2024
Adjective
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Beneath the snowy slopes lay a prehistoric surprise: an ecosystem that predates the dinosaurs, revealed by melting snow before being stumbled upon by a hiker in the Italian Alps.Hannah Peart, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2024
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This phenomenon provided the opportunity for prehistoric Britons to make use of the rich natural resources of the challenging landscape.Newsweek, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Or that a different definition will make a theory simpler.Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 18 Nov. 2024
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If peace has always been but a simple voluntary choice, the price of human imperfection has been paid in the coin of perpetual war.Henry A. Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024
Noun
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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
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Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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Since the first Disney feature animation in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, these songs have taken on a myriad of forms, from silly tunes about cleaning up to dramatic ballads concerning a primal human need for something more.Barry Levitt, TIME, 27 Nov. 2024
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One of the earliest primal urges observed in toddlers on a playground is for ascent — to climb the highest point on the jungle gym.Charles Curkin, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near primitive
Cite this Entry
“Primitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primitive. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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