caveman
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English
Etymology
From cave + man, based on the supposition that early humans dwelt in caves.
Pronunciation
audio (US) (file) - Hyphenation: cave‧man
Noun
caveman (plural cavemen)
- An early human or closely related species, popularly held to reside in caves.
- The political cartoon showed the politician as a caveman, clubbing the budget depicted as a mammoth.
- 2010, Terence A. Shimp, Advertising, Promotion, and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications, 8th edition, Cengage Learning, page 154:
- And who could forget those ads that featured sophisticated cavemen who were insulted—in a parody on political correctness—by “insensitive” offenders who implied that some action was “so easy, a caveman could do it.”
- 2010, Allen A. Debus, Prehistoric Monsters: The Real and Imagined Creatures of the Past That We Love to Fear, page 87:
- For, in essence, the caveman concept implies the abhorrent—undignified human bestiality and a disquieting association with apelike ancestors. Cavemen have represented Darwin′s repugnant evolutionary ideals and even suggest civilisation′s tenuousness.
- (informal, figuratively, derogatory) A person with backward, primitive behavior, opinions, or interests.
- 2008, David E. Clarke, Cinderella Meets the Caveman: Stop the Boredom in Your Marriage and Jump, page 159:
- You think your Caveman is always chasing you for sex. Well, he is.
- (informal, figuratively, derogatory) A brutish person, one who behaves in a rough, uncivilized way.
- The football squad was made up of cavemen who were responsible for trashing many a locker room.
- 1929, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, When the World Screamed:
- "Bless you, he would think nothing of throwing you downstairs if you have a disagreement. He is a primitive cave-man in a lounge suit. I can see him with a club in one hand and a jagged bit of flint in the other."
- (informal, figuratively, derogatory) Someone, especially a man, who has regressive, old-fashioned attitudes, particularly with regard to women; someone opposed to change or modernity.
- Old Sven is a bit of a caveman; he figures giving women the right to vote was a bad idea.
- Pat is a real caveman when it comes to tech, and refuses to get a smartphone.
Synonyms
- (early humans or related species): hominid, hominin, Neanderthal, troglodyte
- (brutish or savage person): boor, knuckle dragger, lout, Neanderthal, savage, thug, troglodyte
- (person with regressive opinions): male chauvinist, Neanderthal,
Hypernyms
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
Translations
a brutish or savage person
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a man with old fashioned or backward opinions, particularly with regard to women
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