Neanderthal
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to Neanderthal man.
-
(often lowercase) primitive, unenlightened, or reactionary; culturally or intellectually backward.
noun
-
(often lowercase)
-
an unenlightened or ignorant person; barbarian.
-
a reactionary; a person with very old-fashioned ideas.
-
adjective
-
relating to or characteristic of Neanderthal man
-
primitive; uncivilized
-
informal ultraconservative; reactionary
noun
-
An extinct variety of human that lived throughout Europe and in parts of western Asia and northern Africa during the late Pleistocene Epoch, until about 30,000 years ago. Neanderthals had a stocky build and large skulls with thick eyebrow ridges and big teeth. They usually lived in caves, made flaked stone tools, and were the earliest humans known to bury their dead. Neanderthals were either a subspecies of modern humans (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) or a separate, closely related species (Homo neanderthalensis). They coexisted with early modern humans (Cro-Magnons) for several thousand years before becoming extinct, but are not generally believed to have interbred with them.
-
See also Mousterian
Discover More
The term Neanderthal is sometimes used to refer to a person who is thought to have primitive or unenlightened ideas: “I tried talking politics to Joe, but he's a real Neanderthal.”
Other Word Forms
- Neanderthaler noun
Etymology
Origin of Neanderthal
First recorded in 1860–65; after Neanderthal, valley in Germany, near Düsseldorf, where evidence of Neanderthal man was first found
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2010 scientists reconstructed the Neanderthal genome -- blockbuster research that allowed for analysis making clear that the species interbred.
From Barron's
The objects are from just before Homo sapiens moved to Europe from Africa where they interacted with Neanderthals.
From BBC
These artifacts come from a time long before formal writing, when Homo sapiens had recently migrated from Africa into Europe and encountered Neanderthals.
From Science Daily
He filled in the meaningless words—Homo erectus, Homo habilis, Homo sapiens, Neanderthal—with great relief.
From Literature
Both Neanderthals and later Mesolithic hunter-gatherers significantly altered vegetation patterns across Europe, long before agriculture began.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
