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# primitive

«primitive» in Mova's school dictionary: **Very simple and basic, not advanced: «a primitive tool…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

adjective (more primitive, most primitive); noun (a primitive, primitives — rare)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Very simple and basic, not advanced: «a primitive tool made of stone». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/#m1)

2) Belonging to an early stage of development, long ago: «primitive life forms». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/#m2)

3) (art) A painter or style that is simple and untrained-looking on purpose or by nature. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/#m3)

4) (old, now hurtful) Once used about peoples or cultures thought to be «less advanced»; today this is seen as unfair and rude. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In history and science lessons it describes early tools, cells or animals; in everyday life it means basic: «The campsite toilets were primitive.» In computing a «primitive» is a basic building block. Phrases: «primitive tools», «primitive life», «primitive conditions».

### examples

- Early humans made primitive tools from flint. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/#x1)
- Bacteria are among the most primitive living things. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/#x2)
- The hut was primitive, with no water or electricity. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/#x3)
- His first robot was primitive but it could move forward. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/#x4)
- Primitive fish had no jaws. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/#x5)
- We camped in primitive conditions on the island. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/#x6)
- Calling another people «primitive» is unfair; their ways are just different. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/#x7)
- They were at last blown on shore, for navigation was primitive in those days. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/#x8)

### note

Adverb: primitively. Be careful: using «primitive» about real living peoples or cultures is old-fashioned and hurtful. In science «primitive» means early or simple in form, not «worse».

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «primitive» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primitive/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.