Synonyms for
Primates
Definition
Primates are a group of mammals that includes monkeys, apes, and humans. They have opposable thumbs and forward-facing eyes.
Synonyms & similar words
Synonyms by register
Antonyms
Common collocations
- great primates
- ancient primates
- primate behavior
- primate evolution
- primate species
- primate research
- primate conservation
- primate brain
Word family
Usage note
Primates is a biological classification. It is not typically used in informal conversation to refer to humans or apes, where more specific terms are preferred.
Compare "primates" with another word →
Example sentences
- The primates at the zoo were swinging from branch to branch.
- Jane Goodall is a famous primatologist who studies chimpanzees.
- The orangutan is one of the largest primates.
- The monkey is a type of primate that lives in trees.
- Humans are also classified as primates.
Quotes
The difference between a monkey and a human is that a human can string words together to make a sentence. A monkey cannot. A monkey just strings words together to make noise.
I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the 'lower animals' (so called) and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man. I find the result humiliating to me.
The human body is essentially something other than an animal organism only when we regard it as an instrument of the spirit, as a tool of our thought.