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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in barbarian
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of primitive
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
23 June 2026
For a more primitive, quieter option, there's also backcountry camping with a permit.
—
Andrea Romano,
Travel + Leisure,
23 June 2026
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
These few extra channels—combined with some sounds ripped from an expansion for the MSX, another 8-bit console—were enough to transcend the Game Boy’s original limitations while still evoking the handheld system’s primitive beauty.
—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
23 June 2026
For a more primitive, quieter option, there's also backcountry camping with a permit.
—
Andrea Romano,
Travel + Leisure,
23 June 2026
Noun
It can be used to achieve a lot of other cryptographic primitives.
—
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primitive
Adjective
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The outpost may resemble something of a rudimentary city on the moon.
-
The Athletic’s Michael Cox gave a detailed breakdown that walked through the tactical hypotheses, but there might be a more rudimentary explanation for this trend.
Adjective
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That verdant vista of a piece of ancient, intricate architecture centered me in storied Osaka and proved a delightfully consistent through line for my stay.
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This phenomenon of gravitational lensing has been used to great effect to study ancient galaxies that would usually be too distant and faint to see when they are gravitationally lensed by foreground galaxy clusters.
Adjective
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The cyclical reality awaiting ‘naive capital’ Allianz is far from the only insurer to have prospered through recent upheavals.
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But performing fealty to that naïve and impoverished picture of judging had become nearly de rigueur for both liberals and conservatives.
Noun
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The world drew heavily from the paintings of fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta, who depicted scenes of barbarians and beasts in conflict, of pulp fiction heroes, femme fatales, and fierce warrior women.
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To an outsider, the scene may spark a certain Schadenfreude, like an army of tiny barbarians sacking Rome.
Adjective
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There's a full rainbow of primal prints to explore, like this flowing calf-print caftan from Moroccan designer Fadila El Gadi.
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Tradition’s stubborn, and there’s still something primal about the boom and the body-rattling force of the real thing.
Adjective
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As for the volunteers, the goal is simple—help someone stay safe before the heat turns into an emergency.
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Evidence for at-home tools is thinner than for professional manual drainage, but the simplest options can offer mild circulation and surface-lymph support at a low price.
Noun
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Schoolchildren meet veterans from the savage fight in Ukraine.
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Perhaps the most striking thing about this savage beatdown is its sweetly melodic backing track.
Adjective
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The museum uses Akrotiri as a point of reference for the life and culture of prehistoric Thira.
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The fraught subject of the proper disposition of those human remains has taken on a new sensitivity — both for the prehistoric people’s Native American successors in Florida, and for the archaeologists and developers encountering them.
Cite this Entry
“Primitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primitive. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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