1
as in losers
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 barbarians
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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Neanderthals
Noun
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Sounds to me like the losers are the remaining students and this is why.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
9 Apr. 2026 -
Winners and losers are coming into sharper focus as the battle intensifies to retain and attract people.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In most academic histories of European imperialism written in this century, the Europeans are the barbarians, killing and raping and looting on an unprecedented scale.—
David A. Bell,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 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
Noun
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These patients had either breast cancer or benign lumps, and their final diagnosis was confirmed with a biopsy.—
Quing Zhu,
The Conversation,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl; discard any lumps.—
Erin Merhar,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Many wonders made the list, including royal burial grounds in Egypt, an Indonesian archipelago of 1,500 islands and Turkish cliffs formerly inhabited by Bronze Age troglodytes (cave dwellers).—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Walker Farm While no injuries were reported, the owners of the barn say all but one of the animals that had been in the barn during the fire died, including two Great Pyrenees and one corgi.—
Riley Moser,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Thousands of other animals, including sea turtles, birds and dolphins, were also killed and harmed in that disaster.—
Kristen Monsell,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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What sets Brule apart from fellow idiots in similar setups like Borat or Philomena Cunk is Reilly’s ability to present Brule with deep pathos and a sense of mystery, offering glimpses into a dark backstory, all made unsettling by the show’s analog-horror aesthetic.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
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One gets the sense, reading DuBois, that Stanton’s fervor for political action stemmed from a dread of being governed by idiots.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The strip explored the life of a group of cavemen and their anthropomorphic animals and dinosaurs in prehistoric times, and has been in production for nearly 70 years, currently managed by Hart’s family.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
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Then language itself breaks apart into letters and sounds, grunted like cavemen incanting around a campfire.—
Theater Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
15 Nov. 2024
Noun
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There are complicated brain-chemistry factors involved that have to do with testosterone, and dopaminergic systems, and kappa-opioid receptors, all of which seem to add up to a Jim Gaffigan joke about how men are morons compared with their wives.—
McKay Coppins,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
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The Dilbert principle — traced back to a quote in a 1995 strip — posited that managers and higher-ups are actually successful morons whose stubbornness is confused for real leadership qualities.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Neanderthals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Neanderthals. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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