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primitive

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Related to the event consisting of the start of something.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

primuhtiv

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɹɪmətɪv

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

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

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

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

  4. Crude, obsolete.

noun

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

  2. A simple-minded person.

  3. A member of a primitive society.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

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

Used this way, primitive is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use primitive

  • “`pick' is the primitive from which `picket' is derived.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Original

primitive form

Primitive

primitive society

Other combinations

primitive artprimitive peoplesprimitive churchprimitive stateprimitive christianityprimitive culture

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • primitive artnounCompound term

    A genre of art and outdoor constructions made by untrained artists who do not recognize themselves as artists.

  • primitive personnounCompound term

    A person who belongs to an early stage of civilization.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: of or pertaining to the beginning or origin

natural

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.