neanderthal
neanderthal Lexical Profile
neanderthal Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to the extinct archaic human species Homo neanderthalensis.
"The museum features an impressive exhibit of Neanderthal skull fragments and stone tools."
Resembling a stereotype of early humans; primitive, uncouth, or aggressively backwards in thinking or behavior.
"The manager's neanderthal approach to workplace mediation only escalated the conflict."
• noun
An extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago.
"Archaeological evidence shows that the Neanderthal possessed complex tools and lived in structured social groups."
A person who is uncivilized, unintelligent, or aggressively boorish in behavior.
"He acted like a complete neanderthal when he started throwing plates during the argument."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the extinct human species, the word is typically capitalized ('Neanderthal'), whereas the figurative, pejorative use describing an uncouth or primitive person is usually written in lowercase.
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the German 'Neanderthal' (Neander Valley), located near Düsseldorf, Germany. This was the site where the first recognized fossils of this archaic human species were discovered in 1856. 'Thal' is the older German orthography for 'Tal', meaning valley.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.