adjective
1.
Synonyms: primary 5, original, prime, underivative, underived
2.
Synonyms: early 1, primordial
3.
closely approximating an early ancestral type
the opossums are primitive mammals
Synonyms: archaic, persistent, undeveloped, unevolved
Antonyms: advanced
4.
of or relating to earlier ages of the world or of human history
archaeology is concerned especially with the study of primitive man
Synonyms: primary, primeval, primevous, primitial
Antonyms: unprimitive
5.
Synonyms: elemental 1, basic, elementary, essential, fundamental, substratal, underlying
6.
characterized by a lack of written language, simple technology, and a relatively simple social organization
Synonyms: nonliterate, preliterate
Related Word: barbarian, uncivilized, uncultivated
Contrasted words: advanced, civilized, cultivated