Neanderthal

noun

Ne·an·der·thal nē-ˈan-dər-ˌtȯl

-ˌthȯl

nā-ˈän-dər-ˌtäl

plural Neanderthals

or less commonly Neandertal

nē-ˈan-dər-ˌtȯl

nā-ˈän-dər-ˌtäl

or Neanderthal man or Neandertal man plural Neandertals or Neanderthal men or Neandertal men : a hominid (Homo neanderthalensis synonym H. sapiens neanderthalensis) known from skeletal remains in Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia that lived from about 30,000 to 200,000 years ago

: a person who suggests a caveman in appearance, mentality, or behavior

… heckled by a bunch of Neanderthals …—

Bonitta Best

But the man is also not a Neanderthal. His mother was an English teacher, and her son quotes Henry David Thoreau …—

Seth Emerson

Neanderthal adjective

or less commonly Neandertal

Neanderthaloid

nē-ˈan-dər-ˌtȯ-ˌlȯid

-ˌthȯ-

nā-ˈän-dər-ˌtä-

adjective or noun

Examples of Neanderthal in a Sentence

I can't believe I was married to that Neanderthal for three years. Some Neanderthals continue to resist the education reform bill.

Recent Examples on the Web

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But the behavior may be older than civilization itself, with some studies suggesting Neanderthals swapped spit with modern humans—and shared each other’s oral microbes—more than 100,000 years ago. —

Byphie Jacobs, science.org, 28 Oct. 2024 Related article Comet likely last seen when Neanderthals walked Earth could soon dazzle in the night sky There are two full moons remaining for 2024 — the beaver moon, which is also a supermoon, on November 15 and the cold moon on December 15, according to the Farmers’ Almanac. —

Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 20 Oct. 2024 That isolation put Neanderthals at an evolutionary disadvantage and could have led to their demise. —

Ashley Strickland, CNN, 14 Sep. 2024 In 2015, archaeologists discovered the remains of a Neanderthal in a cave in southern France. —

Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Neanderthal