prim·i·tive (pr m -tv)adj.1. Not derived from something else; primary or basic. 2. a. Of or relating to an earliest or original stage or state; primeval. b. Being little evolved from an early ancestral type. 3. Characterized by simplicity or crudity; unsophisticated: primitive weapons. See Synonyms at rude. 4. Anthropology Of or relating to a nonindustrial, often tribal culture, especially one that is characterized by a low level of economic complexity: primitive societies. 5. Linguistics a. Serving as the basis for derived or inflected forms: Pick is the primitive word from which picket is derived. b. Being a protolanguage: primitive Germanic. 6. Mathematics An algebraic or geometric expression from which another expression is derived. 7. Relating or belonging to forces of nature; elemental: primitive passions. 8. a. Of or created by an artist without formal training; simple or naive in style. b. Of or relating to the work of an artist from a nonindustrial, often tribal culture, especially a culture that is characterized by a low level of economic complexity. 9. Of or relating to late medieval or pre-Renaissance European painters or sculptors. 10. Biology Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution. n.1. Anthropology A person belonging to a nonindustrial, often tribal society, especially a society characterized by a low level of economic complexity. 2. An unsophisticated person. 3. One that is at a low or early stage of development. 4. a. One belonging to an early stage in the development of an artistic trend, especially a painter of the pre-Renaissance period. b. An artist having or affecting a simple, direct, unschooled style, as of painting. c. A self-taught artist. d. A work of art created by a primitive artist. 5. Linguistics a. A word or word element from which another word is derived by morphological or historical processes or from which inflected forms are derived. b. A basic and indivisible unit of linguistic analysis. Also called prime. 6. Computer Science A basic or fundamental unit of machine instruction or translation.
[Middle English, from Old French primitif, primitive, from Latin pr mitvus, from prmitus, at first, from prmus, first; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
primi·tive·ly adv. |
primitive Adjective 1. of or belonging to the beginning 2. Biol of an early stage in development: primitive amphibians 3. characteristic of an early simple state, esp. in being crude or basic: a primitive dwelling Noun 1. a primitive person or thing 2. a painter of any era whose work appears childlike or untrained 3. a work by such an artist [Latin primitivus earliest of its kind]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. |  primitive - a person who belongs to an early stage of civilizationautochthon - the earliest known inhabitants of a region Basket Maker - early Amerindians related to the Pueblo; known for skill in making baskets ape-man, missing link - hypothetical organism formerly thought to be intermediate between apes and human beings | | 2. | primitive - a mathematical expression from which another expression is derived | | 3. | primitive - a word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms; "`pick' is the primitive from which `picket' is derived"word - a unit of language that native speakers can identify; "words are the blocks from which sentences are made"; "he hardly said ten words all morning" | | Adj. | 1. | primitive - belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness; "the crude weapons and rude agricultural implements of early man"; "primitive movies of the 1890s"; "primitive living conditions in the Appalachian mountains"early - being or occurring at an early stage of development; "in an early stage"; "early forms of life"; "early man"; "an early computer" | | 2. |  primitive - little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type; "archaic forms of life"; "primitive mammals"; "the okapi is a short-necked primitive cousin of the giraffe"early - being or occurring at an early stage of development; "in an early stage"; "early forms of life"; "early man"; "an early computer" | | 3. | primitive - used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies; "primitive societies"anthropology - the social science that studies the origins and social relationships of human beings | | 4. | primitive - 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"untrained - not disciplined or conditioned or made adept by training; "an untrained voice"; "untrained troops"; "young minds untrained in the habit of concentration" |
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