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1. Dictionary

   Prim·i·tive

   /ˈprimədiv/

   

   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, nonindustrial society or culture characterized by simple social and economic organization: "primitive people" Similar preliteratenonindustrialpreindustrialundevelopedindigenousaboriginalsimpleunsophisticatedOpposite advancedliterateindustrial
   • ▪ (of behavior, thought, 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, direct style of art that deliberately rejects sophisticated artistic techniques: "the Fauves saw primitive art as a liberating force" Similar simplenaturalunsophisticatednaiveunaffectedundevelopedchildlikeinnocentartlessunpretentiousuntaughtuntraineduntutoredOpposite sophisticatedrefined
   • 2. having a quality or style that offers an extremely basic level of comfort, convenience, or efficiency: "the accommodations at the camp were a bit primitive" Similar crudesimpleroughbasicelementaryrough-hewnrudimentaryundevelopedunrefinedunsophisticatedruderough and readymakeshiftold-fashionedobsoletearchaicOpposite sophisticatedadvanced
   • 3. not developed or derived from anything else: "the 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, nonindustrial society: "reports of travelers and missionaries described contemporary primitives"
   • 2. a pre-Renaissance painter.
   • ▪ a modern painter who imitates the pre-Renaissance style.
   • ▪ an artist employing a simple, naive style that deliberately rejects subtlety or conventional techniques: "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.
   • ▪ a simple operation or procedure of a limited set from which complex operations or procedures may be constructed, especially a simple geometric shape that may be generated in computer graphics by such an operation or procedure: "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. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › primitivePrimitive Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › primitive

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   The meaning of PRIMITIVE is not derived : original, primary. How to use primitive in a sentence.

3. 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.

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

   www.thefreedictionary.com › primitive

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   1. of or belonging to the first or beginning; original. 2. characteristic of an early state, esp in being crude or uncivilized: a primitive dwelling. 3. (Anthropology & Ethnology) anthropol denoting or relating to a preliterate and nonindustrial social system.

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

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › primitive

   adjective. little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type. “ primitive mammals”. “the okapi is a short-necked primitive cousin of the giraffe”. synonyms: archaic. early. being or occurring at an early stage of development. adjective. used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies.

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

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

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   Primitive means belonging to a society in which people live in a very simple way, usually without industries or a writing system.

8. www.oed.com › dictionary › primitive_nprimitive, n. & adj. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford...

   www.oed.com › dictionary › primitive_n

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   There are 39 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word primitive, nine of which are labelled obsolete, and one of which is considered derogatory. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

9. 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.

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.britannica.com › dictionary › primitivePrimitive Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary

    www.britannica.com › dictionary › primitive

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    PRIMITIVE meaning: 1 : of, belonging to, or seeming to come from an early time in the very ancient past; 2 : not having a written language, advanced technology, etc.