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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Rob Stein, NPR, 23 Dec. 2025
With the gun-toting and tormented Ghoul and the still idealistic Lucy roaming the desert in search of very different kinds of justice, Fallout Season 2 gets to explore whether the (admittedly primitive) Wasteland needs to be saved by people who'd only save part of humanity and fear free will.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 16 Dec. 2025
Quanta Magazine, 1 Aug. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for primitive
Adjective
The scientists then placed human embryos donated for research after infertility treatments, as well as primitive embryo-like entities created from stem cells — called embryoids — inside their tiny wombs on chips and peered through a microscope to watch what happened next.
—Noun
It can be used to achieve a lot of other cryptographic primitives.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for primitive
Adjective
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There, everyone comes and goes on longboats that have awnings, a row of rudimentary seats, and a small outboard motor.—
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The medical system provides only the most rudimentary care, and hospitals have little to no medicine.—
Adjective
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On a cold winter afternoon, António and Jota return from the front with their friends, looking for an ancient Roman thermal bath.—
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Over time, Thompson and her colleagues have unearthed more burials, ancient human DNA and tiny human bone fragments.—
Adjective
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Russia is a tyranny, which makes some of us feel naive.—
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Some biologists believe that as much as 25 percent of the diet of some coyote packs in LA in the naive 1980s was human food.—
Noun
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Per this year’s edition of AIR MAIL’s annual Over-Under List, caviar bumps—where barbarians (TikTokers) lick precious fish eggs off the back of their hands like table salt before a gag-inducing tequila shot—are out!—
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We were inspired by their outrageous VHS cover art that promised epic tales of heroic barbarians rescuing buxom babes from giant monsters.—
Adjective
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But there is a primal scream stuck in our collective throat.—
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Nambiar directs from a script by Abhishek Bandekar that speaks to contemporary youth culture, merging the world of digital content creation with primal survival stakes.—
Adjective
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This simple taupe geometric style peel-and-stick wallpaper is affordable, easy to apply, and looks gorgeous without being too bold or loud.—
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The simple addition of zipper detailing adds a preppy energy to the top.—
Noun
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Brutal, savage, and gory, this movie follows a home invasion on Christmas Eve where a mysterious woman (Béatrice Dalle) tries to steal an unborn baby right out of another woman's (Alysson Paradis) pregnant belly.—
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Eleonora wearing a snake, Nicole’s Reputation hair from earlier in the season, the use of the word savage constantly and from out of nowhere.—
Adjective
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To confirm their findings, the team compared the prehistoric residue to 250-year-old arrows stored in Swedish museums.—
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And if the sneakers themselves didn’t go heavy enough with the prehistoric theme, the shoebox is also fully decked out with a dinosaur motif which, when opened, is intended to look like a Tyrannosaurus opening its mouth.—
Cite this Entry
“Primitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primitive. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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