UNCIVILIZED Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

uncivilized

adjective

ˌən-ˈsi-və-ˌlīzd

Definition of uncivilized

as in barbarian

not civilized unfairly branded as uncivilized by European explorers, they had created a culture that was actually quite advanced

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of uncivilized Under the Omanis, Zanzibar grew rich selling spices, ivory, and slaves, mostly non-Muslims from the interior, whom the island’s élites derided as washenzi, or uncivilized. — Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2022 Forcing a woman to choose between jail and carrying her rapist's baby is uncivilized and medieval. — CNN, 27 June 2022 There is no doubt uncivilized — and sometimes violent — acts have taken place in school bathrooms. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2022 Sure, the song (apparently written about writer Quentin Crisp) is just about the alienating sense of being an outsider, of having people judge you for your accent or aspiring to civility in an uncivilized land. — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2022 See All Example Sentences for uncivilized

Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncivilized

Adjective

Language would have been a part of the divide between Roman and barbarian.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
For the design of the barbarian figure, Sweet reached out to Mark Taylor, an artist and designer at Mattel.

— Sanat Pai RaikarAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 May 2026

Definition of barbarian

Adjective

Were my siblings rude to ignore my plan and take them for themselves?

— Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
An alligator with a sense of humor knocked on a North Carolina woman’s front door in the middle of the night, and the rascal got a rather rude response.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of rude

Adjective

Onscreen, this ethnic conflict allowed Ken-san and other kimonoed gangsters to be presented as pure, sincere, patriotic heroes fighting for traditional Japanese values against savage aliens as well as local, gun-toting yakuza.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
The Indian pilot who fought off a savage attack by his copilot and helped prevent an apparent hijack of a Flydubai plane heading to Israel with more than 170 people on board is being hailed as a hero.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of savage

Adjective

The study, led by researchers at the University of Nottingham and Tohoku University in Japan, examined wild Euhadra snails to understand the biological mechanisms behind this phenomenon, known as chirality.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
The leaves aren’t the only things wild with color this season.

— Ciarra Lorren Zatorski, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of wild

Adjective

These primitive instincts are highly attuned to potential danger and are often triggered before our conscious mind registers that something isn’t right.

— Georgia Casey, Allure, 9 Oct. 2026
When our skin senses heat, those signals travel to a primitive part of the brain that tells our body to cool down.

— Will Stone, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of primitive

Adjective

The chaos in Ithaca may be political and ethical—a violation of custom—but stretches of the poem are barbarous and wild, beyond civilized life altogether.

— David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
Seeking to eliminate Berber forces in the barren mountains of northern Morocco, seven soldiers obediently follow their fanatical sergeant (Víctor Clavijo) into barbarous depths of depravity.

— Ed Meza, Variety, 16 May 2026

Definition of barbarous

Adjective

In no way can [Hasan's] actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered.

— Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Earlier today Opinion Megan McArdle Think a firing squad is barbaric?

— Edith Pritchett, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of barbaric

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uncivil

uncivilized

uncivilly

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“Uncivilized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncivilized. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of uncivilized

adjective

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