as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
a study of the savagery shown by soldiers in wartime
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Recent Examples of savagery
The Battle of Shiloh in southwest Tennessee on April 6-7, 1862, brought home the savagery of the war as there were more than 24,000 casualties on both sides.
—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
Despite Dee’s savagery, Blyth portrays Taylor’s cellmate as loyal and honest — someone who believes in a personal code of conduct.
—
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Ben’s twisted misogynist savagery is exhausting from the start.
—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
25 Apr. 2026
Adapted for television by Adolescence co-creator, Emmy winner Jack Thorne, in Lord of the Flies, innocence descends into savagery when a group of English schoolboys becomes desert island castaways.
—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for savagery
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
Despite Dee’s savagery, Blyth portrays Taylor’s cellmate as loyal and honest — someone who believes in a personal code of conduct.
—
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Ben’s twisted misogynist savagery is exhausting from the start.
—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
25 Apr. 2026
Adapted for television by Adolescence co-creator, Emmy winner Jack Thorne, in Lord of the Flies, innocence descends into savagery when a group of English schoolboys becomes desert island castaways.
—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for savagery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savagery
Noun
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According to the Sheriff’s Office, a judge released Cruz on his own recognizance June 4 following his arraignment on felony animal cruelty charges in Sacramento Superior Court.
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At one point, the narrator, embarrassed by his own act of cruelty, gives a sobbing woman all his money and then leaves her alone in a hotel room.
Noun
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Lee learned much about the systemic oppression that Black Americans faced from his first student, Jesse Glover, who had been a victim of police brutality.
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These early precedents in fictional brutality also weaken Thomson’s next point, about literature’s superiority.
Cite this Entry
“Savagery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savagery. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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