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
By identifying and then chaining together a series of motion primitives, the Amazon researchers have been able to achieve stowing success rates (in the lab) of better than 90 percent.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Feb. 2023
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
By identifying and then chaining together a series of motion primitives, the Amazon researchers have been able to achieve stowing success rates (in the lab) of better than 90 percent.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for primitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primitive
Adjective
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The adjustable-length stirrups will suit a wide range of riders, holding onto a rudimentary handlebar and sitting on a floating seat unit long enough to take a passenger, and capable of moving independently from the robot's ... butt joints.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Apr. 2025
-
Added to the chaos is the underlying rudimentary calculation of tariff levels that have produced wildly uneven and irrational effects on trading partners with no readily discernible policy value.—
Jerrold Lundquist,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The company decided on the dire wolf for two main reasons: their ancient DNA was available, and they can safely be born using a surrogate.—
Andrea Marks,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2025
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The dire wolf genome analyzed to determine what those changes were was extracted from two ancient samples—one a 13,000-year-old tooth found in Sheridan Pit, Ohio, the other a 72,000-year-old ear bone unearthed in American Falls, Idaho.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The credulous faith that these superpowers will voluntarily settle for some form of peaceful coexistence, if only they are sufficiently propitiated with concessions, is naive and dangerous.—
Michael Miklaucic,
Twin Cities,
5 Apr. 2025
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Similarly naive are Trump’s and Biden’s attempts to regulate access to AI information — such as China’s AI restrictions.—
Lutz Finger,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Scott himself was a bit like one of these barbarians, constantly attacking and unsettling a seemingly stable consensus on the value of state power, and of civilization itself.—
Nikil Saval,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
-
El Cid Published July 8, 1999 Like victorious barbarians in a war between the present and the past, bulldozers this week tore into the towers and walls of a Miami castle that once housed El Cid restaurant.—
Jeff Kleinman,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Part of what makes America beautiful is its special creatures like the prehistoric-looking Mojave desert tortoise, whose survival in Nevada is more dire since a federal grant awarded to protect it from being run over by cars is among the frozen grants.—
Noël Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Yet, no evidence of cooking or consumption has been found—unlike some other prehistoric sites where frog bones bear cut marks or signs of burning.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That simplicity feels so apt for this show, There's enough here: The production is simple and sweet, while Jonas and Warren exude a certain magnetism.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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But an attack can be much simpler — and can stop once a user has given away their credentials.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 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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For one thing, human brains appear to be wired for short term gains, a kind of primal instinct of survival that puts a premium on what could be captured today.—
Harry Kraemer,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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At their heart is some primal fear: that evil, or evil people, can control us without our even realizing it.—
Alissa Wilkinson,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primitive. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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