savage

adjective sav·age \ ˈsa-vij \

|Updated on: 7 Jul 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

Don has lately found improbable purpose and renown as a savage defender of his father.

— julia ioffe, GQ, "The Real Story of Donald Trump Jr.," 21 June 2018
Lanesboro, a 1,800-inmate facility, has been roiled by violence, corruption and savage attacks on prisoners and staff.

— michael gordon, charlotteobserver, "Transgender inmate sues to practice witchcraft at notorious all-male N.C. prison," 25 Apr. 2018
Six members of the savage MS-13 gang have been charged with Kayla and Nisa's murders.

— esquire editors, Esquire, "Read the Full Transcript of Trump's State of the Union Address," 31 Jan. 2018
That automaker wanted the same savage reorganization of its parts cost structure.

— ed wallace, star-telegram, "Myths and Numbers," 17 June 2018
Historic Shinnecock lived up to its savage reputation and the supergroup of Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson acted as the poster boys for heartache in the Hamptons.

— rob hodgetts, CNN, "US Open: Savage Shinnecock Hills humbles golf stars," 14 June 2018
Wendy's, known for its savage clapbacks, had much to say about IHOb's big reveal.

— becca smouse, azcentral, "IHOP changed its name to IHOb and the Internet is not having it," 11 June 2018
Unfortunately, the night proves eventful: Leaving his tent momentarily (right after proposing to Brie, which seems rather rude), Matt is viciously attacked by some savage creature.

— dennis harvey, chicagotribune.com, "'Feral' review: Lost campers, a mysterious hermit and second-rate zombies," 31 May 2018
The story of that savage battle, fought in the dark at point-blank range, will be the subject of the next Portals.

— gary kamiya, San Francisco Chronicle, "In World War II, San Francisco’s namesake ship was a Navy hero," 25 May 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

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
Otto Dix, George Grosz, and Max Beckmann angrily produced apocalyptic visions, and Dada was born as a savage, satirical, and subversive response to war’s chaos.

— cate mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Inventur’ looks at German art in the wake of WWII," 15 Mar. 2018
In 2009, following the example of Christopher McDougall and his barefoot-running manifesto, Born to Run, devotees were debating whether to purchase a pair of Vibram FiveFingers or just be a full-on savage and go au naturel from the ankles down.

— martin fritz huber, Outside Online, "Do New "Energy Return" Shoes Put Pep in Your Step?," 18 Apr. 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 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
Pretty soon, the campaign bloodletting will get serious, candidates savaging each other in the hopes of knocking the other contenders out of the way and winning that throne on City Hall’s fifth floor.

— mary schmich, chicagotribune.com, "Before the bloodletting, let's pause to appreciate our eclectic team of mayoral candidates," 10 May 2018
Then Politico reported that the Democratic-allied group Duty and Country was spending nearly $400,000 to savage Jenkins and Morrisey — but sparing Blankenship.

— dylan scott, Vox, "How a convicted coal baron upended the West Virginia Senate race," 24 Apr. 2018
Director Spike Lee savaging the President of the United States while overseas at a film festival.

— Fox News, "Ann Coulter on the status of Trump's immigration agenda," 20 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.