primitive

/pɹˈɪmətɪv/ · 3 syllables

Meaning

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”
2. little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type
   “archaic forms of life”
3. used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies
   “primitive societies”
4. 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 person who belongs to an early stage of civilization
2. a mathematical expression from which another expression is derived
3. a word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms
   “`pick' is the primitive from which `picket' is derived”

Synonyms for primitive

• crude
• rude
• early
• archaic
• noncivilized
• naive
• untrained
• primitive person