primitive en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈpɹɪmɪtɪv/
Etymology
From Middle English primitif, from Old French primitif, from Latin prīmitīvus (“first or earliest of its kind”), from prīmus (“first”); see prime. Doublet of primitivo.
Meanings
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Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first.
primitive innocence; the primitive church
it is from such primitive beings that the highest organisms now extant are the marvellously developed descendants
1895, Edmund Montgomery, “To Be Alive, What is it?”, in The Monist:"The cranium is clearly plesiomorphic in overall form, presenting primitive traits shared by earlier hominins," the authors wrote.
2025 September 27, Julia Jacobo, “Million-year-old skull could rewrite timeline of human origin, researchers say”, in ABC News, archived from the original on 14 Feb 2026:
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Of or pertaining to or harking back to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity.
By some paradoxical evolution rancour and intolerance have been established in the vanguard of primitive Christianity. Mrs. Spoker, in common with many of the stricter disciples of righteousness, was as inclement in demeanour as she was cadaverous in aspect.
1921, Ben Travers, chapter 4, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:The intermediate stations were of the most primitive type.
1951 August, “The Why and the Wherefore: The West Sussex Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 573:It could be said that the history of religions—from the most primitive to the most highly developed—is constituted by a great number of hierophanies, by manifestations of sacred realities.
1959, Mircea Eliade, “Introduction”, in Willard R. Trask, transl., The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion (Harvest Book; HB 144), New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace & World, →ISBN, page 11:a primitive style of dress
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Of or pertaining to or harking back to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity. ▸ Relating to an art style characterized by asymmetrical shapes and faded colors.
I used primitive hearts to decorate the quilt.
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Crude, obsolete.
primitive ideas
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Original; primary; radical; not derived.
The primitive root in "children" is "child."
a primitive verb
Division of words. Words are primitive or radical, and derivative or compound. Of primitive words. Primitive or radical words are such as cannot be divided, or separated into parts which are significant; as man, hope, bless.
1831, Noah Webster, Rudiments of English Grammar; Being an Abridgment of the Improved Grammar of the English Language, New-Haven, page 6:
- (dated) Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution.
- Not derived from another of the same type
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(dated) most recent common ancestor (often hypothetical) of
We infer that other groups of related languages, such as the Germanic (or the Slavic or the Celtic), which show a similar resemblance, have arisen in the same way; it is only an accident of history that for these groups we have no written records of the earlier state of the language, as it was spoken before the differentiation set in. To these unrecorded languages we give names like Primitive Germanic (Primitive Slavic, Primitive Celtic, and so on).
1933, Leonard Bloomfield, Language, Henry Holt, page 13:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most primitive | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more primitive | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| primative | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
unprimitive · primitive streak · primitively · primitivist · primitivize · primitive element · quasiprimitive · nonprimitive · primitive polynomial · ultraprimitive · primitive accumulation · primitive root · primitiveness · primitivity · primitivism · primitive colour · primitive art · Primitive Irish · primitive recursion · multiprimitive · preprimitive · neoprimitive · primitive notion · primitive type · primitive reflex · primitivistic · primitive wrapper class · primitive recursive · neoprimitivist · primitive concept · semiprimitive · AADAOPA
Synonyms
unemployed · behind the times · opening · old-timey · obsolete · Miss Havishamesque · prime · extinct · discontinued · backwards · backwards · starting · retro · anachronistic · rudimentary · incipient · defunct · mouldy · primary · primordial · primitive · idle · maiden · antiquated · antique · desuete · initial · dated · antiquated · workless · outdated · disused · primeval · antediluvial · cobwebbed · proto- · garagelike · unrefined · undeveloped · rough · outworn · oldfangled · backward · commencing · old-timey · retro · backwards · rudimental · passé · first · unoccupied · cobwebby · beginning · rudimentary · out of fashion · crude · fossilized · antediluvian · incipient · hoary · outworn · original · old school · rude · out of date · imprimitive · dootsie · primary · outmoded · old · nascent · superseded · Havishamesque · old-fashioned · elderly · archaic · radical · earliest · nascent · primitive · primitive · superannuated · venerable · undeveloped · parachronistic · expired
Translations (3)
ar بدائي (old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity) · eo primitiva (old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity) · pl prymitywny (old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity)