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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Neanderthal
Noun
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Remember the scene in Marvel's The Avengers, when Bruce Banner transformed into the hulk and punched a Chitauri Leviathan in the face, bringing it to a sudden halt?—
Chris McMullen,
Space.com,
28 Nov. 2025 -
Jerome Grand Hotel For 44 years, the empty hulk of the United Verde Hospital loomed above the town like Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Live television crews captured the chaos, each faction functioning as another barbarian at the gate.—
Jenny Lumet,
Vanity Fair,
10 Feb. 2026
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And if any of you barbarians out there slather ranch dressing on your wings, there’s a special place in hell just for you.—
Bill Reinhard,
New York Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Perhaps surprisingly, the unfair pay and rude management didn’t trigger the most significant changes in attitude.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Whether a dish is tied to a long-standing family tradition, cultural heritage, or simply a treasured memory, etiquette experts say there’s nothing rude about choosing to keep certain recipes private.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
My son, a lump of breath that fell into the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
-
And while some can work magic with a claw clip, others struggle to avoid lumps and bumps without invoking gels and wax.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Save Our Bacon Act would negate California’s Proposition 12 and forbid states from making laws regarding animal confinement, according to a Harvard analysis.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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The Nankai Trough is one of Japan’s most geologically active deep-sea regions, but before this expedition, only 14 animal species were known to inhabit the area’s cold seeps.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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They were met with savage brutality, with as many as 30,000 murdered by their own government.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
-
But they were met with savage brutality, with as many as 30,000 souls murdered by their own government.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Eleanor’s view Trump has never liked a loser.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Soto hit a two-run home run in the first inning off loser Eduardo Rodriguez, his second of this year’s tournament and the fourth of his WBC career — tying Nelson Cruz and Adrián Beltré for the most in his nation’s history.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This season takes a hellish turn, as our caveman protagonist encounters undead and other paranormal enemies.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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This old-style Bavarian beer hall can accommodate all fans of Germanic cuisine with jäger schnitzel, wild-boar sausages and a baked pork shank that looks like something a caveman would thomp a dinosaur with.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
19 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Neanderthal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Neanderthal. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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