Standard Lemma guide

primitive

adj · noun · 24 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈpɹɪmɪtɪv/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪmɪtɪv
  • CMU ARPABET: P R IH1 M AH0 T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: P R IH1 M IH0 T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • primitive innocence; the primitive church

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: incipient, nascent, primary, beginning, commencing, earliest, first, initial, maiden, opening, original, prime, primeval, primitive, primordial, starting

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of or pertaining to or harking back to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a primitive style of dress

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: backwards, old-timey, retro

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Of or pertaining to or harking back to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity.

Relating to an art style characterized by asymmetrical shapes and faded colors.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I used primitive hearts to decorate the quilt.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: backwards, old-timey, retro

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Crude, obsolete.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • primitive ideas

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rudimentary, undeveloped, antiquated, outworn, crude, garagelike, primitive, rough, rude, rudimental, unrefined, anachronistic, antediluvial, antediluvian, antique, archaic, backward, backwards, behind the times, cobwebbed, cobwebby, dated, defunct, desuete, discontinued, disused, dootsie, elderly, extinct, expired, fossilized, Havishamesque, hoary, idle, Miss Havishamesque, mouldy, obsolete, old, oldfangled, old-fashioned, old school, outdated, outmoded, out of date, out of fashion, parachronistic, passé, superannuated, superseded, unemployed, unoccupied, venerable, workless

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Original; primary; radical; not derived.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

Examples

  • a primitive verb
  • The primitive root in "children" is "child."

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: radical

Antonyms: derivative, derived

6

adj

Meaning 6

Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adj

Meaning 7

Not derived from another of the same type

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: imprimitive

Antonyms: none provided

8

adj

Meaning 8

most recent common ancestor (often hypothetical) of

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: proto-

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

An original or primary word; a word not derived from another, as opposed to derivative.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

A member of a primitive society.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

Primitive or primeval nature; the innate, instinctive element within a person; the deep, instinctive, precultural layer of human nature.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

Natural or premodern environment or conditions; life lacking modern technology and society.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

A simple-minded person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

A data type that is built into the programming language, as opposed to more complex structures.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

noun

Meaning 15

Any of the simplest elements (instructions, statements, etc.) available in a programming language.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

16

noun

Meaning 16

A basic geometric shape from which more complex shapes can be constructed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

17

noun

Meaning 17

A function whose derivative is a given function; an antiderivative.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

18

adjective satellite

Meaning 18

used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • primitive societies

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

19

adjective satellite

Meaning 19

little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • archaic forms of life
  • primitive mammals
  • the okapi is a short-necked primitive cousin of the giraffe

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: archaic

Antonyms: none provided

20

adjective satellite

Meaning 20

belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the crude weapons and rude agricultural implements of early man
  • primitive movies of the 1890s
  • primitive living conditions in the Appalachian mountains

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crude, rude

Antonyms: none provided

21

adjective satellite

Meaning 21

of or created by one without formal training; simple or naive in style

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • primitive art such as that by Grandma Moses is often colorful and striking

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: naive

Antonyms: none provided

22

noun

Meaning 22

a word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • `pick' is the primitive from which `picket' is derived

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: word

23

noun

Meaning 23

a mathematical expression from which another expression is derived

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: formula, expression

24

noun

Meaning 24

a person who belongs to an early stage of civilization

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: primitive person

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: person, individual, someone, somebody, mortal, soul

Narrower terms: Aryan, Indo-European, autochthon, Basket Maker, caveman, cave man, cave dweller, troglodyte, Heidelberg man, Homo heidelbergensis, missing link, ape-man, Mound Builder, Piltdown man, Piltdown hoax, savage, barbarian, wild man, feral man

History

Etymology

From Middle English primitif, from Old French primitif, from Latin prīmitīvus (“first or earliest of its kind”), from prīmus (“first”); see prime. Doublet of primitivo.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: بدائي (bidaʔiyy) — old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity
  • Esperanto: primitiva — old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity
  • Polish: prymitywny — old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity
  • Finnish: kantasana — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • French: primitif — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • German: Wortstamm & Stamm — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • German: Stammwort — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • German: Urwort — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • German: ursprüngliches Wort — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • German: Wurzelwort — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • German: Wortwurzel & Wurzel — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • German: Primitivum — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • German: Radicalwort — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • German: Radix — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • Italian: primitivo — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • Latin: primitivum — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • Latin: vocabulum primitivum — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • Latin: vox primitiva — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • Latin: radix — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • Russian: примити́в (primitív) — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • Spanish: primitivo — linguistics: word not derived from another
  • Chinese Mandarin: 原始人 (yuánshǐrén) — member from a primitive society
  • Finnish: alkukantainen ihminen — member from a primitive society
  • French: primitif — member from a primitive society
  • French: primitive — member from a primitive society
  • Greek: πρωτόγονος (protógonos) — member from a primitive society
  • Italian: primitivo — member from a primitive society
  • Portuguese: primitivo — member from a primitive society
  • Russian: первобы́тный челове́к (pervobýtnyj čelovék) — member from a primitive society
  • Turkish: ilkel insan — member from a primitive society
  • Bulgarian: примитив (primitiv) — simple-minded person
  • Finnish: yksinkertainen ihminen — simple-minded person
  • Italian: primitivo — simple-minded person
  • Portuguese: primitivo — simple-minded person
  • Finnish: primitiivi — computing: data type
  • Finnish: perustietotyyppi — computing: data type
  • French: primitive — computing: data type
  • Greek: αρχέγονος (archégonos) — computing: data type
  • Greek: αρχέγονος τύπος δεδομένων (archégonos týpos dedoménon) — computing: data type
  • Polish: prymityw — computing: data type
  • Portuguese: primitiva — computing: data type
  • Russian: примити́в (primitív) — computing: data type
  • Esperanto: primitiva komando — computing: simplest elements
Real reading context

primitive in complete knowledge articles