/ ˈprɪmətɪv; NAmE / adjective , noun
■ adjective
1.
[ usually before noun ] belonging to a very simple society with no industry, etc. :
primitive tribes
primitive beliefs
2.
[ usually before noun ] belonging to an early stage in the development of humans or animals :
primitive man
3.
very simple and old-fashioned, especially when sth is also not convenient and comfortable
SYN crude :
The methods of communication used during the war were primitive by today's standards.
The facilities on the campsite were very primitive.
4.
[ usually before noun ] ( of a feeling or a desire ) very strong and not based on reason, as if from the earliest period of human life :
a primitive instinct
► primi·tive·ly adverb
► primi·tive·ness noun [ U ]
■ noun
1.
an artist of the period before the Renaissance; an example of work from this period
2.
an artist who paints in a very simple style like a child; an example of the work of such an artist
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense original, not derivative ): from Old French primitif , -ive , from Latin primitivus first of its kind, from primus first.