Idiom idiom
naked ape
Meaning
A human being.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The naked ape is a strange creature.”
“Scientists often study the behavior of the naked ape to understand how humans evolved over time.”
“In his famous book, the author examines the biological instincts that still drive the modern naked ape in a complex society.”
Origin
first recorded 20th c.
first recorded 20th c.
From naked + ape, reportedly coined by the zoologist Desmond Morris in his 1967 book The Naked Ape.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026