- a recurrent theory or belief, as in philosophy or art, that the qualities of primitive or chronologically early cultures are superior to those of contemporary civilization.
- the state of being primitive: the primitivism of the Stone Age peoples.
- the qualities or style characterizing primitive art.
- the condition of being primitive
- the notion that the value of primitive cultures is superior to that of the modern world
- the principles, characteristics, etc, of primitive art and artists
