Neanderthal 1 of 2

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as in barbarian
a man with crude manners and habits and outmoded attitudes made the mistake of dining with some Neanderthal who repeatedly mistook his shirtsleeve for a napkin

Synonyms & Similar Words

Neanderthal

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adjective

variants or Neandertal

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 Neanderthal
Noun
But, while this group of people also had Neanderthal ancestry, their population must have died out, because their DNA doesn’t appear to contribute to modern-day genomes. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024 Poetry for Neanderthals for $25: Every card has a word, and your seemingly simple task is to get your team to correctly guess it within the time limit by speaking in single syllables only. Simon Hill, WIRED, 19 Dec. 2024 In a separate study, researchers tracked signs of Neanderthal in our genetic code over 50,000 years. Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024 Related article Scientists reveal the face of a Neanderthal who lived 75,000 years ago However, there is still much scientists don’t know. Katie Hunt, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Neanderthal 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Neanderthal
Noun
  • Having boy hulk Matthew Knies at the net front, to retrieve pucks and be a pain for the defence, is one positive step that’s been working.
    James Mirtle, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Kadyrov’s fighters were instrumental in the final assault on Donetsk Airport in January, having fought for months to capture the wrecked hulk of buildings that once made up the passenger terminals.
    Nicholas Waller, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2015
Noun
  • It was called the Save Women’s Sports Act, conjuring an image of barbarians at the gate.
    Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025
  • By this time, Rome survived numerous attacks from pagan European tribes and the Asian Huns before finally succumbing to Germanic barbarians in 476 C.E..
    Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • For some, Bishop Budde’s words might seem radical, rude, inappropriate or offensive.
    Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
  • Regarding the banker who wished to use profane language, managers who are rude to direct reports are still falling out of favor.
    Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • But what are those strange circular lumps in Delores’ jogging bottoms?
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Young sets the pair strange tasks, like hurling uncooked dough at a wall (possibly a reference to letting the people eat cake) or kissing each other through that same lump of dough, or screaming in an audience member’s face.
    Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The story follows six of the village’s animal inhabitants and unveils the mystical and superstitious life of the village and the fading hopes of its human residents.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2025
  • While making an animal feed additive, the plant releases ethylene oxide, a colorless gas linked to leukemia and breast cancer.
    Lisa Song, ProPublica, 5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2022
  • As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.
    Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2022
Noun
  • Our doctrine holds that money losers don’t belong in your portfolio.
    Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2025
  • Where are the winners and losers of the coming great climate migration?
    Andrea Riquier, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Much like the iconic caveman from Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones, Hollins went barefoot and sported a blue necktie and a short-sleeve, leopard-print loincloth with a jagged hemline.
    Gil Macias, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
  • The following story might irritate male supremacists and cavemen everywhere.
    David Whitley, The Tennessean, 30 Jan. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near Neanderthal

Cite this Entry

“Neanderthal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Neanderthal. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.

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