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1. Dictionary

   primitive

   /ˈprɪmɪtɪv/

   adjective

   • 1. relating to, denoting, or preserving the character of an early stage in the evolutionary or historical development of something: "primitive mammals" Similar ancientearliestfirstprehistoricantediluvianantiqueprimordialprimevalprimalprimaryloweroriginalproto-ur-rare:autochthonousautochthonicprimigenialOpposite modernrecentdeveloped
   • ▪ relating to or denoting a preliterate, non-industrial society or culture characterized by simple social and economic organization: "primitive people" Similar preliteratenon-industrialpre-industrialundevelopedindigenousaboriginalsimpleunsophisticatedOpposite advancedliterateindustrial
   • ▪ (of behaviour or emotion) apparently originating in unconscious needs or desires and unaffected by objective reasoning: "the primitive responses we share with many animals"
   • ▪ of or denoting a simple, naive style of art that deliberately rejects sophisticated artistic techniques: "the Fauves saw primitive art as a liberating force" Similar simplenaturalunsophisticatednaiveunaffectedundevelopedchildlikeinnocentartlessunpretentiousuntaughtuntraineduntutoredOpposite sophisticatedrefined
   • 2. very basic or unsophisticated in terms of comfort, convenience, or efficiency: "the accommodation at the camp was a bit primitive" Similar crudesimpleroughbasicelementaryrough-hewnrudimentaryundevelopedunrefinedunsophisticatedruderough and readymakeshiftold-fashionedobsoletearchaicOpposite sophisticatedadvanced
   • 3. not developed or derived from anything else: "primitive material of the universe"
   • ▪ denoting a word, base, or root from which another is historically derived.
   • ▪ (of an algebraic or geometric expression) from which another is derived, or which is not itself derived from another.
   • 4. (of a part or structure) in the first or early stage of formation or growth; rudimentary.

   noun

   • 1. a person belonging to a preliterate, non-industrial society: "reports of travellers and missionaries described contemporary primitives"
   • 2. a pre-Renaissance painter, or one who imitates the pre-Renaissance style.
   • ▪ an artist deliberately employing a simple, naive style: "the Catalan primitives"
   • ▪ a painting by a primitive artist, or an object in a primitive style: "Santa Fe style antiques and Mexican primitives"
   • 3. a word, base, or root from which another is historically derived.
   • ▪ an algebraic or geometric expression from which another is derived; a curve of which another is the polar or reciprocal.
   • ▪ any of a set of basic geometric shapes which may be generated in computer graphics: "the program includes a complete set of drawing primitives"

   Word Origin late Middle English (in the sense ‘original, not derivative’): from Old French primitif, -ive, from Latin primitivus ‘first of its kind’, from primus ‘first’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. primitively adverb
   • 2. primitiveness noun
   • 3. primitivity noun

   Scrabble Points: 16

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2. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishPRIMITIVE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

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   relating to human society at a very early stage of development, with people living in a simple way without machines or a writing system: Primitive races colonized these islands 2,000 years ago. primitive man. The spiny anteater is a mammal, although a very primitive one.

3. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › primitivePrimitive Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › primitive

   • Cached

   1. a. : not derived : original, primary. b. : assumed as a basis. especially : axiomatic. primitive concepts. 2. a. : of or relating to the earliest age or period : primeval. the primitive church. b. : closely approximating an early ancestral type : little evolved. primitive mammals. c.

4. www.dictionary.com › browse › primitivePRIMITIVE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › primitive

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   Primitive definition: being the first or earliest of the kind or in existence, especially in an early age of the world. See examples of PRIMITIVE used in a sentence.

5. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishPRIMITIVE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

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   If you describe something as primitive, you mean that it is very simple in style or very old-fashioned. The conditions are primitive by any standards. The primitive surgery of those days left him virtually deaf in one ear.

6. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › primitivePrimitive - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › primitive

   being or occurring at an early stage of development. adjective. used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies. “ primitive societies” synonyms: noncivilised, noncivilized. not having a high state of culture and social development. noun. a person who belongs to an early stage of civilization. synonyms: primitive person. see more.

7. www.thefreedictionary.com › primitivePrimitive - definition of primitive by The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com › primitive

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   adj. 1. a. Of or relating to an early or original stage or state; primeval: life in the primitive ocean. b. Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution: fossils of primitive angiosperms from the Cretaceous Period. c. Having developed early in the evolutionary history of a group: Hair is a primitive trait of mammals.

8. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › us › definitionprimitive adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and...

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › us › definition

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   very simple and old-fashioned, especially when something is also not convenient and comfortable synonym crude. The methods of communication used during the war were primitive by today's standards. The facilities on the campsite were very primitive. Transport remained very primitive.

9. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › american_englishprimitive adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and...

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › american_english

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   Definition of primitive adjective in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

10. www.ldoceonline.com › dictionary › primitiveprimitive | meaning of primitive in Longman Dictionary of...

    www.ldoceonline.com › dictionary › primitive

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    primitive meaning, definition, what is primitive: belonging to a simple way of life that e...: Learn more.

11. www.wordreference.com › definition › primitiveprimitive - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

    www.wordreference.com › definition › primitive

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    characteristic of an early state, esp in being crude or uncivilized: a primitive dwelling. denoting or relating to a preliterate and nonindustrial social system. of, relating to, or resembling an early stage in the evolutionary development of a particular group of organisms: primitive amphibians.