Antonyms for primitive
ˈprɪm ɪ tɪvprim·i·tive

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.0 / 1 vote

1. primitive

   Aboriginal (Latin ab, from, origo, origin) signifies pertaining to the aborigines or earliest known inhabitants of a country in the widest sense, including not merely human beings but inferior animals and plants as well. Autochthonic (Greek autos, self, and chthōn, earth) signifies sprung from the earth, especially from the soil of one's native land. Primeval (Latin primum, first, and ævum, age), signifies strictly belonging to the first ages, earliest in time, but often only the earliest of which man knows or conceives, immemorial. Aboriginal, autochthonic, and primeval combine the meanings of ancient and original; aboriginal inhabitants, autochthonic races, primeval forests. Prime and primary may signify either first in time, or more frequently first in importance; primary has also the sense of elementary or preparatory; we speak of a prime minister, a primary school. Primal is chiefly poetic, in the sense of prime; as, the primal curse. Primordial is first in an order of succession or development; as, a primordial leaf. Primitive frequently signifies having the original characteristics of that which it represents, as well as standing first in time; as, the primitive church. Primitive also very frequently signifies having the original or early characteristics without remoteness in time. Primeval simplicity is the simplicity of the earliest ages; primitive simplicity may be found in retired villages now. Pristine is an elegant word, used almost exclusively in a good sense of that which is original and perhaps ancient; as, pristine purity, innocence, vigor. That which is both an original and natural product of a soil or country is said to be indigenous; that which is actually produced there is said to be native, though it may be of foreign extraction; humming-birds are indigenous to America; canaries may be native, but are not indigenous. Immemorial refers solely to time, independently of quality, denoting, in legal phrase, "that whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contrary;" as, an immemorial custom; an immemorial abuse. Compare OLD.

   Compare synonyms for NEW.

   Antonyms:
   adventitious, exotic, foreign, fresh, late, modern, new, novel, recent

   Synonyms:
   aboriginal, ancient, autochthonic, immemorial, indigenous, native, old, original, patriarchal, primal, primary, prime, primeval, primordial, pristine, uncreated

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:1.0 / 1 vote

1. primitive

   Antonyms:
   modern, new-fangled, sophisticated, modish

   Synonyms:
   old-fashioned, primeval, quaint, simple, unsophisticated, archaic, pristine

Matched Categories

1. • Anthropology
   • Fine Arts
   • Formula

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:4.5 / 2 votes

1. primitive, primitive personnoun

   a person who belongs to an early stage of civilization

   Antonyms:
   civilised, trained, late, later(a), civilized

   Synonyms:
   primitive person

2. primitivenoun

   a mathematical expression from which another expression is derived

   Antonyms:
   late, later(a), civilised, trained, civilized

   Synonyms:
   primitive person

3. primitiveadjective

   a word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms

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

   Antonyms:
   later(a), civilised, late, trained, civilized

   Synonyms:
   primitive person

4. crude, primitive, rudeadjective

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

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

   Antonyms:
   late, trained, civilised, later(a), civilized

   Synonyms:
   bad-mannered, ill-bred, rough, yokelish, unrefined, rude, crude(a), underbred, rude(a), vulgar, bounderish, archaic, gross, raw, lowbred, naive, stark(a), earthy, crude, unprocessed, blunt, ill-mannered, unmannered, raw(a), unmannerly, natural, uncivil

5. archaic, primitiveadjective

   little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type

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

   Antonyms:
   later(a), late, civilised, trained, civilized

   Synonyms:
   archaic, naive, antiquated, crude, rude, antediluvian

6. primitiveadjective

   used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies

   "primitive societies"

   Antonyms:
   trained, late, civilized, later(a), civilised

   Synonyms:
   naive, crude, rude, archaic

7. primitive, naiveadjective

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

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

   Antonyms:
   later(a), trained, late, civilised, civilized

   Synonyms:
   rude, uninstructed, uninitiate, unenlightened, naive, archaic, uninitiated, crude, naif

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. primitiveadjective

   Synonyms:
   pristine, primordial, primeval, primal, antique, quaint, old-fashioned, original, radical, primary

Editors ContributionRate these antonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. advanced

   advanced, not primitive

   the toy was not primitive, it was very advanced.

   Submitted by JP03 on December 8, 2014  

2. modern

   an early stage of development or culture

   modern hunters use rifles whereas primitive hunters used bows, spears or even rocks.

   Submitted by rinat on June 9, 2017  

How to use primitive in a sentence?

1. Brian Harrell:

   This typically very primitive style attack equals millions of dollars in damage, if you were to shoot out some very key components you can quickly create an effect where this large multimillion dollar transformer becomes essentially a paperweight.

2. Anandabai Joshee:

   Had there been no difficulties and no thorns in the way, then man would have been in his primitive state and no progress made in civilisation and mental culture.

3. Sir Arthur Eddington:

   It is a primitive form of thought that things exist or do not exist.

4. Andres Meira:

   Until you live in one of these places you don't really understand the primitive fear of earthquakes, there are times when you can't sleep and sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night and make sure things aren't moving.

5. Shiladitya DasSarma:

   What happened I think is that the chlorophyll-based photosynthesis is more efficient, which means they generally have outcompeted the the purple organisms, in evolution, you had progression from more primitive to more complex and capable systems.

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