1. An early or undeveloped phase of something; the initial stage of development
The technology is still in a primitive stage.
A tecnologia ainda está em um estágio primitivo.
2. In anthropology or sociology, a stage of human development characterized by lack of civilization or advanced culture
Early anthropologists studied what they considered primitive stages of human society.
Os primeiros antropólogos estudaram o que consideravam estágios primitivos da sociedade humana.