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
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
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Recent Examples of Neanderthal
Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2025
His lab’s studies have shed light on how humans migrated and adapted to new environments and how traits linked to Neanderthal DNA are gradually being eliminated from the modern human genome.
—Sacbee.com, 12 May 2025
Archaeologists recently unearthed a bone projectile point someone dropped on a cave floor between 70,000 and 80,000 years ago—which, based on its location, means that said someone must have been a Neanderthal.
—ArsTechnica, 1 May 2025
This group of Neanderthals probably numbered around 40 to 200 and had been genetically isolated from other Neanderthals for nearly 50,000 years.
—Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Neanderthal
Noun
Indeed, the placement of the ochre fingerprint could suggest that Neanderthals were more advanced artists than traditionally thought, adorning objects not only with fingerprints but with human faces, as well.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2025
His lab’s studies have shed light on how humans migrated and adapted to new environments and how traits linked to Neanderthal DNA are gradually being eliminated from the modern human genome.
—Sacbee.com, 12 May 2025
Archaeologists recently unearthed a bone projectile point someone dropped on a cave floor between 70,000 and 80,000 years ago—which, based on its location, means that said someone must have been a Neanderthal.
—ArsTechnica, 1 May 2025
This group of Neanderthals probably numbered around 40 to 200 and had been genetically isolated from other Neanderthals for nearly 50,000 years.
—Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Neanderthal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Neanderthal
Noun
-
Like the ghostly hulk of the Titanic below the surface of the sea, Northbrook Court is a quiet and cavernous relic — at the bottom of the retail food chain.—
David Petitti,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The first night, the characters are menaced by a bald hulk in overalls, wearing a clown mask with the mouth area (including his teeth) smashed in.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Once, some 2,000 years ago, so many such personages (then known as barbarians) came to Paris simultaneously that the city was destroyed.—
Caity Weaver,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2025
-
This new Leo is poised to save America’s democracy from American barbarians within, seeking to destroy centuries of democratic compromise toward a more perfect union.—
Emmett Coyne,
The Hill,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
And even if that feels rude by the standards of today, people were forced to answer her questions and answer to the things that the public wanted to know.—
Alex Jhamb Burns,
Vogue,
23 June 2025
-
There are so many things that can be off or what if just the woman walks in and just is not attracted to the guy or the man is rude to the waiter.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
Noun
-
Order the jumbo lump or save a few bucks and opt for the equally tasty backfin version.—
Christina Tkacik,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 June 2025
-
In a fifty-eight-year-old survivor of breast cancer with a strong family history of the disease, a new lump near the original site likely signals recurrence—intervention is warranted.—
Siddhartha Mukherjee,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
The critically praised 2024 TIFF premiere — a survival action-thriller set after a plague has destroyed animal life on Earth — doesn’t open nationally until July 2.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 June 2025
-
Answer: Shiz University What kind of animal is Dr. Dillamond?—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
17 June 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Noun
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All matches were best-of-two, and each player started with five minutes on the clock in the winners’ bracket, three minutes in the losers’ bracket, and both had one-second increments with each move (considered time to move the piece).—
Eduardo Tansley,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
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While a loss won't eliminate either team, the winner will advance directly to the semifinals, while the loser will have to play an elimination game against the winner of Murray State vs. Arkansas.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 June 2025
Noun
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The 'caveman method': Woman's skincare routine is dividing the internet, raising eyebrows How effective are pimple patches?—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
20 June 2025
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The writer-director finds a playful entry point by starting not in Manhattan but in a majestic rocky landscape where the only signs of life are a hot caveman returning from foraging and placing a makeshift ring on the finger of the woman waiting for him.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Neanderthal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Neanderthal. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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