primitive society
nounUK /ˈprɪmɪtɪv səˈsaɪəti/
US /ˈprɪmɪtɪv səˈsaɪəti/
A very old kind of human group that lived long ago without modern tools or writing.
In a primitive society, people made tools from stone and hunted for their food.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A simple community with little technology, often used to describe groups living in remote areas.
The documentary showed a primitive society that still uses bows and arrows.
3. A stage in the early development of human culture before farming and cities.
Historians study primitive society to understand how early humans organized their lives.
4. In a figurative sense, a group or system that seems very old-fashioned or undeveloped.
Critics called the company's management style a primitive society of rules and fear.