Neanderthal 1 of 2

noun

nē-ˈan-dər-ˌtȯl How to pronounce Neanderthal (audio)
Definition of Neanderthalnext
1
as in hulk
a big clumsy often slow-witted person they looked like a tribe of Neanderthals compared to the bridegroom's patrician-looking family

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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

2 of 2

adjective

variants or Neandertal
as in rude
not civilized her boyfriend's Neanderthal tastes and manners were often embarrassing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for Neanderthal
  1. hulk
  2. barbarian
  3. rude
  4. lump
  5. animal
  6. savage
  7. loser
  8. caveman
Noun
  • In the film, Russell wants a hulk of a man but doesn’t care about money, while Monroe transparently is looking for a man who can fuel her desire for diamonds.
    — Rance Collins, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026
  • When Krem takes off in Kara’s spacecraft, a rusted hulk that’s like an interplanetary RV, and shoots her beloved dog Krypto with a lethal tranquilizer that will result in agonizing death in three days, Kara joins Ruthye on her revenge quest.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2026
Definition of hulk
Noun
  • The world drew heavily from the paintings of fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta, who depicted scenes of barbarians and beasts in conflict, of pulp fiction heroes, femme fatales, and fierce warrior women.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 29 June 2026
  • To an outsider, the scene may spark a certain Schadenfreude, like an army of tiny barbarians sacking Rome.
    — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of barbarian
Adjective
  • In the nearly 90-second recording, Varela calls the customer service representative lazy, rude and racist and asks her for her name tag.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • Posey can deliver an absurd line with such conviction that arguing with her would seem rude.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of rude
Noun
  • Ganglion cysts are noncancerous lumps at the hand and wrist that contain a clear, gel-like liquid, per the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 25 July 2026
  • In the United States, winners can select between a single lump payment and annual payments over a period of 30 years, with annual payments increasing by 5%.
    — Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of lump
Noun
  • Scientists like Munster are indispensable for figuring out the source of pandemic viruses, whether bats, pigs, rats, or some other animal, Andersen said.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • In addition to the startling experience of touching the remains of an animal that lived hundreds of millions of years ago, contact with the Mastodonsaurus offers an opportunity to reflect on the future, those involved in the project said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
Definition of animal
Adjective
  • The Yellow Death has disfigured the population, and soldiers in white-and-red tunics serve the savage Duke of Tviot.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Josefowicz, in her decathlon of a performance, brought Ligeti’s savage discontinuities to the surface.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of savage
Noun
  • This fight carries immense stakes, with the loser potentially facing a significant setback in their career.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026
  • From there on out, every story beat will be familiar to anyone who’s ever seen a come-from-behind underdog loser redemption movie.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
Definition of loser
Noun
  • The challenge was to figure out what exactly appeared on the caveman food pyramid.
    — David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026
  • There’s a lyric where reporters are wondering why Mullally’s Vera Vim, a fading actress, bought a caveman.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026
Definition of caveman
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.

Browse Nearby Words

ne'er-do-wells
Neanderthal
Neanderthals
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Neanderthal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Neanderthal. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on Neanderthal

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Neanderthal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of aerie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All