savage

adjective sav·age \ ˈsa-vij \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: savage in a Sentence

Definition of savage

1 a : not domesticated or under human control : untamed

savage beasts

b : lacking the restraints normal to civilized human beings : fierce, ferocious

a savage criminal

2 : wild, uncultivated

seldom have I seen such savage scenery
—Douglas Carruthers

3 a : boorish, rude

the savage bad manners of most motorists
—M. P. O'Connor

b : malicious

4 : lacking complex or advanced culture : uncivilized

a savage country

—

savagely

adverb

—

savageness

noun

See savage defined for English-language learners

See savage defined for kids

Examples of savage in a Sentence

He was the victim of a savage attack.
The coast was lashed by savage storms.
He wrote savage satires about people he didn't like.

Recent Examples of savage from the Web

Queen Elizabeth II's eldest great-grandchild, Savannah Phillips, just confirmed her status as the most savage member of the royal family after pulling off another antic with her four-year-old cousin Prince George over the weekend.

— isabel greenberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince George Was Pushed Down a Hill By His Cousin Savannah Phillips, the Most Savage Royal," 13 June 2018
The March 2002 ambush became known as the Battle of Roberts Ridge, one of the most savage and controversial of the Afghan war.

— david martin, CBS News, ""Not a day goes by that I don't think of it": Medal of Honor recipient on Afghan battle," 24 May 2018
Like Nietzsche, Bugatti understood that the most savage beast is often man.

— edgardo franzosini, New York Times, "There’s More to Italian Fiction Than Elena Ferrante," 18 May 2018
But for the rest of us, this was arguably the most savage home run ever hit—a breathtaking display of violence, like watching a freight train slam into a car on the tracks.

— si.com staff, SI.com, "Nine Innings: The Cubs' Issue With Launch Angle, Reimagining Bullpen Roles and Jonny Venters's Painful Journey," 30 Apr. 2018
The song is a beleaguered meditation on murder by numbers, brought about by the most savage and misguided.

— ryan gabos, Billboard, "From 'Crash' to 'Crush': 20 Years of Dave Matthews Band's Haunting Masterwork 'Before These Crowded Streets'," 27 Apr. 2018
Apparently, Meghan dumped her producer ex, Trevor Engelson, in the most savage way — completely out of the blue.

— noelle devoe, Seventeen, "Meghan Markle Reportedly Dumped Her Ex Husband in the Most Savage Way," 2 Apr. 2018
But those whiz-bang tracking shots are all put in service of a shockingly savage and brutal war between Peter and his crew (Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-Tail, Benjamin Bunny) and the fussy Thomas.

— katie walsh, ajc, "‘Peter Rabbit’ features gorgeous animation, violent mayhem," 9 Feb. 2018
Get Better at Weightlifting to Get Better at Lifting Weights Photo Illustration / Melissa Majchrzak A weightlifting coach explains how borrowing from the most savage Olympic sport can improve performance in the weight room.

— jay willis, GQ, "Get Better at Weightlifting to Get Better at Lifting Weights," 5 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'savage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of savage

Middle English, from Anglo-French salvage, savage, from Late Latin salvaticus, alteration of Latin silvaticus of the woods, wild, from silva wood, forest

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First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

savage Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of savage

fierce, ferocious, barbarous, savage, cruel mean showing fury or malignity in looks or actions. fierce applies to humans and animals that inspire terror because of their wild and menacing aspect or fury in attack.

- fierce warriors

ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality.

- a ferocious dog

barbarous implies a ferocity or mercilessness regarded as unworthy of civilized people.

- barbarous treatment of prisoners

savage implies the absence of inhibitions restraining civilized people filled with rage, lust, or other violent passion.

- a savage criminal

cruel implies indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it.

- the cruel jokes of schoolboys

savage

noun

Definition of savage

1 : a person belonging to a primitive society

2 : a brutal person

3 : a rude or unmannerly person

See savage defined for English-language learners

Examples of savage in a Sentence

What kind of savage could have committed such a terrible crime?
what kind of savage would hurt a baby?

Recent Examples of savage from the Web

No side, left, right, or otherwise, has a monopoly on violence; even Tibetan Buddhist politics sometimes turns savage.

— lance morrow, WSJ, "Political Harassment Is for the Birds," 6 July 2018
White american savage who is partly a neanderthal comes to Africa and shoot down a very rare black giraffe coutrsey of South Africa stupidity.

— stephanie petit, PEOPLE.com, "Kentucky Woman Posts Shocking Photos After Killing 'Rare' Black Giraffe, Says It Was for Conservation," 3 July 2018
White american savage who is partly a neanderthal comes to Africa and shoot down a very rare black giraffe coutrsey of South Africa stupidity.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Hunter defends killing 'rare' black giraffe, says it was too old to breed," 2 July 2018
Never seen a combo of beauty and savage like you before!

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "Why Is Everyone Talking About The New Yorker’s Film Critic and Incredibles 2?," 20 June 2018
Eyes large and full, black, with a nictant membrane, which gives the animal a savage and malicious appearance.

— brooke jarvis, The New Yorker, "The Obsessive Search for the Tasmanian Tiger," 16 Jan. 2012
The mountains here are steep, desiccated, and flat-out savage.

— aaron gulley, Outside Online, "Believe It or Not, You Can Safari in New Mexico," 16 Apr. 2018
New Japan’s foundation is its pro wrestling, so Jericho shows off his ability to be a technically-sound savage in the ring.

— justin barrasso, SI.com, "The Week in Wrestling: The Miz Has His Eyes on AJ Styles’s Title; Backlash Highlights a Major WWE Flaw," 9 May 2018
And with a twirl, a hair flip, and a kiss goodbye for good measure, the icon is out—looking savage.

— lauren valenti, Vogue, "Watch Rihanna’s Epic 10-Minute Guide to Going-Out Makeup," 3 May 2018

First Known Use of savage

1578

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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savage Synonyms

Synonyms

baddie (or baddy), beast, brute, devil, evildoer, fiend, heavy, hound, knave, meanie (also meany), miscreant, monster, nazi, no-good, rapscallion, rascal, reprobate, rogue, scalawag (or scallywag), scamp, scoundrel, varlet, villain, wretch;

Near Antonyms

angel, innocent, saint;

hero;

Related Words

villainess;

blackguard;

criminal, crook, culprit, felon, lawbreaker, malefactor, offender, perp, perpetrator, transgressor;

sinner, trespasser, wrongdoer;

cad, heel, serpent, snake, viper;

bandit, bravo, desperado, outlaw;

con, convict, jailbird;

assassin, cutthroat, gangster, goon, gunman, hoodlum, hooligan, racketeer, ruffian, thug;

rough, rowdy, tough;

loser, lowlife, ne'er-do-well, stinker, trash;

Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

savage

verb

Definition of savage

savaged; savaging

transitive verb

: to attack or treat brutally

See savage defined for English-language learners

Examples of savage in a Sentence

He looked like he'd been savaged by a wild animal.
A hurricane savaged the city.
The newspapers savaged his reputation.

Recent Examples of savage from the Web

The only good thing to come out of this terrible law was Justice Antonin Scalia’s brilliant and solitary dissent savaging it in Morrison v. Olson (1988)—arguably his finest opinion.

— william mcgurn, WSJ, "Thank You, Jeff Sessions," 2 Apr. 2018
That's definitely a diplomat talking after really getting savaged by the president at that breakfast.

— Fox News, "The politics of Trump's tough love for NATO," 12 July 2018
David Cox, the superintendent in Allegany County in western Maryland, is one of many school leaders trying to deal with opioid epidemics savaging their communities.

— valerie strauss, Washington Post, "Ten problems teachers did not have to deal with a decade ago," 18 Apr. 2018
The girl, who was savaged in the attacks, had enormous eyes, a quiet smile and one name: Asifa.

— Fox News, "8-year-old girl's rape, death in India sparks widespread protests mired in religious politics," 13 Apr. 2018
The girl, who was savaged in the attacks, had enormous eyes, a quiet smile and one name: Asifa.

— Washington Post, "Child’s rape, killing in India mired in religious politics," 12 Apr. 2018
And if that means savaging the psyches of thousands of children, so be it.

— yvonne abraham, BostonGlobe.com, "Hey undocumented immigrants, it’s all your fault," 16 June 2018
This is not the first time that Trump has savaged Sessions publicly.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "Donald Trump is a really, really bad boss. Just ask Jeff Sessions.," 30 May 2018
But up next, a New York tabloid savages Ivanka Trump for representing her dad in Jerusalem.

— Fox News, "N.Y. Times' mea culpa on FBI probe," 21 May 2018

First Known Use of savage

1880

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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savage Synonyms

Synonyms

abuse, assail, attack, bash, belabor, blast, castigate, excoriate, jump (on), lambaste (or lambast), potshot, scathe, slam, vituperate;

Near Antonyms

acclaim, commend, compliment, hail, laud, praise;

blaspheme, curse, execrate, imprecate, profane;

affront, insult, slur;

asperse, bad-mouth, belittle, blackguard, disparage, put down;

libel, slander, traduce, vilify;

chastise, chide, criticize, lace (into), rebuke, reprimand, reproof;

fulminate, lash (out);

Phrases

beat up on, light into, sail into, tie into;

Savage

biographical name Sav·age \ ˈsa-vij \

Definition of Savage

Michael Joseph 1872–1940 prime minister of New Zealand (1935–40)

SAVAGE Defined for English Language Learners

savage

verb

Definition of savage for English Language Learners

: to attack or treat (someone or something) in a very cruel, violent, or harsh way

SAVAGE Defined for Kids

savage

adjective sav·age \ ˈsa-vij \

Definition of savage for Students

1 : not tamed : wild

savage beasts

2 : being cruel and brutal : fierce

a savage attack

—

savagely

adverb

They fought savagely.

History for savage

In Latin the adjective silvaticus, (derived from the noun silva, “forest”) meant “growing or living in the forest.” Because forest life is wild rather than domesticated, the adjective easily took on the meaning “wild” in later Latin. Altered to salvaticus, the word passed into Old French as sauvage. When it was borrowed into Middle English, it kept the meanings “wild, uncultivated (of fruit)” and “untamed (of animals).” But sauvage could also be applied to humans, in which case its meanings could range from “not civilized, barbarous” to “fierce, cruel.” It is mainly the last sense that modern English savage brings to mind.