hunter-gatherer: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Academic, Anthropological, Historical, Occasionally journalistic/metaphorical
Quick answer
What does “hunter-gatherer” mean?
A member of a society or culture that obtains food primarily by hunting, fishing, and foraging for wild plants, as opposed to practicing agriculture or animal husbandry.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A member of a society or culture that obtains food primarily by hunting, fishing, and foraging for wild plants, as opposed to practicing agriculture or animal husbandry.
Often used metaphorically to describe a person or lifestyle characterized by searching for or collecting disparate items or information, or as a descriptor for a historical or anthropological stage of human societal development.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Spelling is consistent with the hyphenated compound.
Connotations
Neutral, factual term in both varieties. May be used with slightly greater frequency in UK media in broader cultural discussions.
Frequency
Low-frequency in general discourse, but standard within relevant academic fields.
Grammar
How to Use “hunter-gatherer” in a Sentence
[determiner] + hunter-gatherer[adjective] + hunter-gathererhunter-gatherer + [noun]live as/like a hunter-gathererVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “hunter-gatherer” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The hunter-gatherer communities of Mesolithic Britain were highly mobile.
- They studied hunter-gatherer artefact assemblages.
American English
- Hunter-gatherer societies in the Pacific Northwest had rich resource bases.
- The model is based on hunter-gatherer social structures.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Potentially metaphorical: 'Their sales strategy was like a hunter-gatherer approach, chasing every lead.'
Academic
Primary context. Used in anthropology, archaeology, human evolution studies, and prehistory.
Everyday
Rare, except in general discussions about human history, diet (e.g., 'Paleo' diet references), or simplistic metaphors.
Technical
Precise term in anthropology/archaeology for societies with a specific subsistence strategy.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “hunter-gatherer”
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “hunter-gatherer”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “hunter-gatherer”
- Writing as two separate words ('hunter gatherer') or as a single unhyphenated word. Using it anachronistically for very early hominids before the behavior was fully established.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is a standard hyphenated compound noun and adjective.
Yes, though they are rare. Some groups in the Amazon Basin, Central Africa, and Papua New Guinea maintain varying degrees of a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, often combined with some horticulture or trade.
An agricultural or pastoral society. The key shift is from foraging wild resources to domesticating plants and animals.
No, it is only a noun or an attributive adjective. You cannot say 'to hunter-gatherer'. The related activity is 'to hunt and gather' or 'to forage'.
A member of a society or culture that obtains food primarily by hunting, fishing, and foraging for wild plants, as opposed to practicing agriculture or animal husbandry.
Hunter-gatherer is usually academic, anthropological, historical, occasionally journalistic/metaphorical in register.
Hunter-gatherer: in British English it is pronounced /ˌhʌntəˈɡæðərə/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌhʌntərˈɡæðərər/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
HUNTS animals and GATHERS plants = HUNTER-GATHERER.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOURCE DOMAIN: Search/Collection. TARGET DOMAIN: Lifestyle/Strategy. e.g., 'He's a digital hunter-gatherer, constantly collecting information online.'
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is a defining characteristic of a hunter-gatherer society?