savagery

noun

sav·​age·​ry ˈsa-vi-jə-rē 

ˈsa-vij-rē

plural savageries

1

a

: the quality of being savage

b

: an act of cruelty or violence

2

: an uncivilized state

Synonyms of savagery

• cruelty
• brutality

Examples of savagery in a Sentence

The savagery of the attack was horrifying.

an act of pure savagery

the savageries committed by the soldiers

Recent Examples on the Web

O’Connell is terrific, but both his character and his performance are badly served by the prolonged savagery of certain scenes. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 14 Jan. 2026

Cash hasn’t so much tamed the savagery of the internet as turned on parental controls. —Gideon Leek, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026

Its savagery was all the more disturbing knowing what a compassionate, effective man Rob Reiner was in life and work. —Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025

Then came the October 7, 2023, savagery by Hamas that took the lives of more than 1,200 innocent Jews—40 years after the attack on America’s troops in Beirut. —Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for savagery

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

Kids Definition

savagery

noun

sav·​age·​ry ˈsav-ij-(ə-)rē 

plural savageries

1

: savage disposition or action : cruelty

2

: the state of being savage