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
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
-
Chase scenes are easily tracked over rich urban terrain, and shootouts tend to play out in clear, rudimentary compositions.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2025
-
But those rudimentary models based on pre-defined rulesets are rapidly becoming obsolete compared to the current capabilities of AI.—
Sailesh Sewpaul,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In ancient Persia, the charming Jewish orphan for whom the book is named wins King Ahasuerus’s beauty pageant and becomes queen of a massive empire, while keeping her Jewishness secret.—
Tal Fortgang,
National Review,
14 Mar. 2025
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Thus, the team concluded that the late Devonian and late Ordovician extinction events, which respectively took place some 372 and 445 million years ago, were likely caused by such ancient supernovae.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Nearly all parents experience something akin to his naive desire, a wish to give their kid the future of their dreams while shielding them from pain and disappointment.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2025
-
The actor plays Lochlan Ratliff, the naive son of Timothy and Victoria, who gets swept away in his family’s crazy antics.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
In a fable by Phaedrus, also written in the first century A.D., a barbarian is threatening the troops of the military leader, Pompey the Great.—
Tom Sapsford,
The Conversation,
24 Feb. 2025
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Whatever the reason, barbarians likely used the spoons either to snort powdered substances, or to measure out a quantity to place into drinks like beer, or into pipes to be smoked.—
Joshua Rapp Learn,
Discover Magazine,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Permafrost—stable for millennia—is now thawing at an accelerating pace, breaking open microbial vaults from a prehistoric world.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
-
The arrowhead, found in a pit alongside other prehistoric features, was meticulously carved from flint using a technique called knapping.—
Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
All of this is a vaguely long-winded way of making a simple point — the outlook for Wolves’ defence has changed dramatically over the course of this season.—
Steve Madeley,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Hailing a ride to space is not as simple as opening up Uber on your phone, but sharing rides offers a more cost-effective way to launch small satellites like PUNCH.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
13 Mar. 2025
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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This seems rather an understatement to your correspondent., for the style, substance, silhouettes and scintillation of Anaïs C. jewels embody an earthly yet mystical mix of sustainably sourced, precious gemstones inside of primal jewelry forms.—
Kyle Roderick,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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The invisible force is a powerful, primal motivator.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primitive. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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