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primitive

adjective noun

used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies

Quick reference

Word Facts

Word length
9
Starts with
P
Ends with
E
Contains
RI
Scrabble score
16
Database source
OEWN 2025 Core

How it sounds

Pronunciation

ˈpɹɪmɪtɪv

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Audio Pronunciation

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Meaning

Definitions

adjective

  1. used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies

    “primitive societies”

adjective

  1. little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type

    “archaic forms of life”

adjective

  1. belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness

    “the crude weapons and rude agricultural implements of early man”

adjective

  1. of or created by one without formal training; simple or naive in style

    “primitive art such as that by Grandma Moses is often colorful and striking”

noun

  1. a word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms

    “‘pick’ is the primitive from which ‘picket’ is derived”

noun

  1. a mathematical expression from which another expression is derived

noun

  1. a person who belongs to an early stage of civilization

In context

Example Sentences

primitive societies
archaic forms of life
primitive mammals
the okapi is a short-necked primitive cousin of the giraffe
the crude weapons and rude agricultural implements of early man
primitive movies of the 1890s
primitive living conditions in the Appalachian mountains
primitive art such as that by Grandma Moses is often colorful and striking
‘pick’ is the primitive from which ‘picket’ is derived

Similar words

Synonyms

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