prim·i·tive
ˈpri-mə-tiv
1
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
: belonging to or characteristic of an early stage of development : crude, rudimentary
primitive technology
d
: of, relating to, or constituting the assumed parent speech of related languages
primitive Germanic
3
b
sometimes offensive
: of, relating to, or produced by a people or culture that is nonindustrial and often nonliterate and tribal
primitive art
c
: naive
d(1)
: self-taught, untutored
primitive craftsmen
(2)
: produced by a self-taught artist
a primitive painting
plural primitives
1
a
: something primitive
specifically
: an original or primary idea, term, or proposition
b
: a root word
2
a(1)
: an artist of an early period of a culture or artistic movement
(2)
: a later imitator or follower of such an artist
b(1)
: a self-taught artist
(2)
: an artist whose work is marked by directness and naivete
c
: a work of art produced by an Indigenous (see indigenous sense 1b) artist
d
: a typically rough or simple usually handmade and antique home accessory or furnishing
3
a
dated, sometimes offensive
: a member of a people that is nonindustrial, often tribal, and often without a written language
b
disparaging + often offensive
: an unsophisticated person
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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