Meaning
primitive
- early, original
- rudimentary, crude
In a sentence
Questo telefono è troppo primitivo per me.
This phone is too primitive for me.
Il significato primitivo di questo termine era molto diverso.
The original meaning of this term was very different.
Non voglio usare strumenti così primitivi.
I don't want to use such primitive tools.
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| primitivo | masculine · singular |
| primitiva | feminine · singular |
| primitivi | masculine · plural |
| primitive | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Often sounds negative for people or behavior: uomo primitivo suggests uncivilized or crude. Use antico or delle origini for neutral historical contexts.
- For art/history, arte primitiva and chiesa primitiva are established terms; they do not simply mean old.
- It agrees normally: primitivo, primitiva, primitivi, primitive. Learners often forget the feminine plural primitive.