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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of Neanderthal
Ben Marwick, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2025
Earlier research shows Neanderthals engaged in cultural rituals such as ornamental crafting, cave wall art, and even familial and social funeral burials.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Dec. 2024
Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
fossils
Neanderthals
evolution
anthropology
paleontology
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—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 2025
More of Florida’s contemporary GOP lawmakers seem prone to cheer on Neanderthal talking points than challenge them.
—Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Neanderthal
Noun
During the Middle Paleolithic, when Neanderthals were modern humans’ neighbors, new technologies meant something quite different: new kinds of stone tools that were smaller but could be used for many tasks and lasted for a long time.
—Ben Marwick, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2025
Earlier research shows Neanderthals engaged in cultural rituals such as ornamental crafting, cave wall art, and even familial and social funeral burials.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Dec. 2024
Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
fossils
Neanderthals
evolution
anthropology
paleontology
1 free article left
Want More?
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 2025
More of Florida’s contemporary GOP lawmakers seem prone to cheer on Neanderthal talking points than challenge them.
—Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Neanderthal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Neanderthal
Noun
-
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
-
Because the park was damaged and is surrounded by the hulks of once-beloved homes.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Las Casas thought that the real barbarians weren’t the Indians but the Spaniards.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Scott himself was a bit like one of these barbarians, constantly attacking and unsettling a seemingly stable consensus on the value of state power, and of civilization itself.—
Nikil Saval,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
There is something shocking, almost rude, about comparing the aims of wardens and guards to those of curators and artists, but McKenzie has her reasons.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
28 Apr. 2025
-
But the 37-year-old doesn’t always see eye to eye with fans, at least not those who frequently heckle him, and Pham’s reaction is too often rude, crude and lewd.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Just a few months earlier, in November 2023, her fiancé (then boyfriend) discovered a blueberry-sized lump in her left breast.—
Jordan Greene,
People.com,
15 May 2025
-
Hemorrhoids appear as hard lumps and may cause pain, itching, and bleeding.—
Sarah Hudgens,
Health,
6 May 2025
Noun
-
The 1,000-pound animals peep their heads from the white stalls, while others amble in circles inside the barn's wooden fence.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
12 May 2025
-
Fungi transform materials that plants and animals otherwise wouldn’t be able to use to their benefit.—
Lauren Oster,
Smithsonian Magazine,
12 May 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
-
The winner takes all and the losers are driven to lose their humanity.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
10 May 2025
-
When policymakers’ ambition to pass big tax cuts collides with the need to limit the cost, the inevitable loser is simplicity.—
Howard Gleckman,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
An investment in Carrier’s business, according to Welborn’s sales material, which also featured the HomeVestors caveman mascot, Ug, was both lucrative and secure.—
Anjeanette Damon,
ProPublica,
13 May 2025
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Fact checked by Sarah Scott New viral skin care 'caveman skin' trend promotes not using any products, or even water.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
12 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Neanderthal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Neanderthal. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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