primal

[ prahy-muhl ]

See synonyms for primal on Thesaurus.com

adjective

first; original; primeval: primal eras before the appearance of life on earth.
of first importance; fundamental: the primal resources of a nation.

Origin of primal

From the Medieval Latin word prīmālis, dating back to 1535–45. See prime, -al¹

Other words from primal

non·pri·mal, adjective

Words that may be confused with primal

primal , primeval, primordial

Words Nearby primal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use primal in a sentence

And to this day, liberals in the political world use the name “Willie Horton” to describe an appeal to primal racial fears.
Want President Hillary? Then Primary Her | Jeff Greenfield | November 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Levine broods in the meat locker, mad with desire for Prinsloo, whose appetite for him is equally primal.
Sex, Blood and Maroon 5: Pop Culture’s Wounds Run Deep | Lizzie Crocker | October 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I wanted to fill her with pain and primal rage, which was really fun for me.
Juliette Lewis on Hollywood, Why the MSM Hates Scientology, and Masturbating to George Clooney | Marlow Stern | September 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Because primal violence is justified by religious belief, “the offenders have no remorse, no fear, and are extremely confident.”
Why ISIS Keeps Running Circles Around Us, Just Like Al Qaeda Did Before 9/11 | Christopher Dickey | September 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The “exotic” foreign civilization is somehow more natural, more primal, more sensual, the way people really ought to live.
Who Died and Made You Khaleesi? Privilege, White Saviors, and the Elusive Male Feminist Who Doesn’t Suck | Arthur Chu | June 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

The poverty of earlier days was the outcome of the insufficiency of human labor to meet the primal needs of human kind.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock
The primal rigidity of the straight line yields later on to the freedom of an organ.
Children's Ways | James Sully
From that day to this, man has been occupied in unfolding this method, and has advanced enormously beyond his primal state.
Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
Anaximenes, seeing that animals die without air, thought that air was the great primal cause.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John Lord
Whatever you said to him sank without splash into this almost primal calm and was lost to your view forever.
Blazed Trail Stories | Stewart Edward White

British Dictionary definitions for primal

primal

/ (ˈpraɪməl) /

adjective

first or original
chief or most important

Origin of primal

C17: from Medieval Latin prīmālis, from Latin prīmus first

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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