1
as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
what kind of savage would hurt a baby?
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarian
an uncivilized person
inhabitants of exotic lands were invariably portrayed by early travel writers as savages
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in rude
not civilized
Tarzan is usually portrayed as a noble but savage warrior of the jungle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
a savage attack on a helpless person
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in feral
living outdoors without taming or domestication by humans
savage beasts that seemed threatening to the tourists
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in ferocious
violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition
early explorers avoided those areas that were rumored to be inhabited by savage natives
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
book reviewers mercilessly savaged his latest novel
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of savage
Walker Mimms, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2023
Along the way detailed signs provide information and locations of major incidents like the Bascom Affair and the Battle of Apache Pass, a savage fight between Cochise and 150 warriors and an advance guard of the California Column.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 13 Jan. 2023
Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 14 Dec. 2022
Prompted by a perfect storm of my mom’s terminal illness and my employer’s savage institutional sexism, the decision had shocked many but also made way for my writing dreams to come true.
—Sarah Smarsh, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
Critics savaged Platt’s idea on Twitter and other social media platforms as being disrespectful.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for savage
Noun
But where Goya would turn savage over Spain’s fortunes, Murillo stayed light, even cutesy.
—Walker Mimms, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2023
Along the way detailed signs provide information and locations of major incidents like the Bascom Affair and the Battle of Apache Pass, a savage fight between Cochise and 150 warriors and an advance guard of the California Column.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 13 Jan. 2023
Adjective
The abrupt end of a placidly unquestioned friendship unleashes a savage emotional battle.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 14 Dec. 2022
Prompted by a perfect storm of my mom’s terminal illness and my employer’s savage institutional sexism, the decision had shocked many but also made way for my writing dreams to come true.
—Sarah Smarsh, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
Verb
Fire authorities issued evacuation warnings Tuesday for residents living in areas of Los Angeles County savaged by recent wildfires ahead of heavy rain and mudslides expected this week.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
Critics savaged Platt’s idea on Twitter and other social media platforms as being disrespectful.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for savage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savage
Noun
-
By the end of the episode, the audience is eager to meet the antihero, the brute, that everyone is talking about.—
Maelle Beauget-Uhl,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
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Slinging a sports coat over his pajamas, Long pulls up to a curb and finds Tay (Dustin Nguyen), the Vietnamese speaker, plus two silent brutes, Eddie (Phi Vu) and Aden (Dali Benssalah), who muscle into his car and take over everything: the seating arrangements, the air freshener and their driver.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Scott himself was a bit like one of these barbarians, constantly attacking and unsettling a seemingly stable consensus on the value of state power, and of civilization itself.—
Nikil Saval,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
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El Cid Published July 8, 1999 Like victorious barbarians in a war between the present and the past, bulldozers this week tore into the towers and walls of a Miami castle that once housed El Cid restaurant.—
Jeff Kleinman,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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My question: Was there any way to have prevented this rude woman from stealing away all of my guests? GENTLE READER: Counter-questions: Did the boss and his wife drop the guests off before the emergency furniture move?—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2025
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Really, any movie exceeding 100 minutes in this genre is just plain rude.—
Jordan Crucchiola,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway fared better than the S & P 500 in a brutal week as investors embraced the safety of a cash-rich conglomerate while President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs wreaked havoc on Wall Street.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2025
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Longtime Larson supporters, and there are still many, began to talk among themselves that losing a primary would be a brutal end to their friend’s long career.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In America alone, there are currently between 60 and 100 million stray and feral cats, completely left to their fate.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
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South Florida Wildlands Association responded to a comment that the mystery animal could be a feral cat, expressing some of their doubts.—
Kelli Bender,
People.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Severe thunderstorms will roar to life by the late afternoon in the Mississippi Valley, become more ferocious and pound potentially more than 900 miles of the region – from Louisiana to Minnesota – through the overnight hours.—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN,
13 Mar. 2025
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Ferran’s ragged butterfly Blanche looks at first glance as if she might be blown to smithereens with one gust of Stanley’s ferocious lung power.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Every American should reject the president's and his cronies' illegitimate use of government power to attack his enemies.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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Korematsu was just 22 years old and working hard to expand his family’s flower nursery outside San Francisco when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.—
Lauren Stienstra,
Time,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Even when a big threat does arrive on the scene, the heroes aren't there right away, so plenty of innocent people get hurt before a villain gets brought to justice.—
John W. Dean,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
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Whereas Serena could easily have emerged as a one-note villain, from the beginning of her tenure on the series, Strahovski has imbued Serena with a soulfulness that often puts the audience uncomfortably on her side, despite her reprehensible actions.—
Scarlett Harris,
IndieWire,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Savage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savage. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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