primitive

Universal Words adjective, noun adjective 1 [usuallybeforenoun] belonging to a very simple society with no industry, etc: primitive tribes * primitive rituals / beliefs 2 [usuallybeforenoun] 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: The methods of communication used during the war were primitive by today's standards. * The facilities on the campsite were very primitive. 4 [usuallybeforenoun] (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 / desire primitiveness 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