1
as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
what kind of savage would hurt a baby?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarian
an uncivilized person
inhabitants of exotic lands were invariably portrayed by early travel writers as savages
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in rude
not civilized
Tarzan is usually portrayed as a noble but savage warrior of the jungle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
a savage attack on a helpless person
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in feral
living outdoors without taming or domestication by humans
savage beasts that seemed threatening to the tourists
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4
as in ferocious
violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition
early explorers avoided those areas that were rumored to be inhabited by savage natives
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
book reviewers mercilessly savaged his latest novel
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of savage
Brent Lang, Variety, 16 May 2026
He can be wounded and sensitive (as in In the Mood for Love), mysterious and melancholy (as in Wong’s 2046), or slick and savage (as in Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution).
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 May 2026
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
An evolving definition This supremacist mindset was evident in the introduction of the term civilization, which was created to distinguish between what Europeans deemed refined and advanced societies from supposedly primitive or savage ones.
—Ryan Huling, Time, 7 May 2026
René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Mar. 2026
For months, the two right-wing media stars had been savaging each other on their respective platforms.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for savage
Noun
Critics, especially the international lot, can be savage on movies that don’t meet their high standard.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 16 May 2026
He can be wounded and sensitive (as in In the Mood for Love), mysterious and melancholy (as in Wong’s 2046), or slick and savage (as in Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution).
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 May 2026
Adjective
Critic Rex Reed, who died Tuesday at 87, built his career on savage, acerbic reviews delivered with little restraint, earning a reputation as a provocateur.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
An evolving definition This supremacist mindset was evident in the introduction of the term civilization, which was created to distinguish between what Europeans deemed refined and advanced societies from supposedly primitive or savage ones.
—Ryan Huling, Time, 7 May 2026
Verb
The crime comedy Gigli (2003) earned little more than 10 percent of its $54 million production costs and was savaged by critics.
—René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Mar. 2026
For months, the two right-wing media stars had been savaging each other on their respective platforms.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for savage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savage
Noun
-
Historically speaking, the Allied Supreme Commander wasn’t considered an angry brute so much as a steady diplomat who was capable of sudden, persuasive rage.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 May 2026
-
Even the consumer-level codes that encrypt your online banking are so hard to break that every computer on the planet working together would need longer than the age of the universe to brute-force them apart.—
David M. Ewalt,
Scientific American,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
In the series adaptation, from creator, executive producer and co-showrunner Turner (Up In The Air, X-Men First Class), a ruthless and crass barbarian is cursed to only use his violence for good, which sends him, his talking axe and a young witch on a road of self discovery, redemption and revenge.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
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Created by Mike Moreci and Nathan Gooden and edited by Adrian Wassel, Barbaric centers on a ruthless and crass barbarian who is cursed to only use his violence for good, which sends him, his talking axe and a young witch, on a road of self-discovery, redemption and revenge.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
The biggest accidental romance killer was being rude to staff, selected by 15% of respondents.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2026
-
Junior employees using the same tone may be judged as rude or disengaged.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Bichette is off to a brutal start, Francisco Lindor’s spring hamate injury may have affected his power even before his calf strain knocked him out for the last month, and Jorge Polanco has barely been on the field.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
Hounded by a loud, impatient Eisenhower and faced with the very real evidence that a brutal trio of storms will make an early June invasion impossible, Stagg is torn between doing his duty and, well, doing his duty.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Managed and feral honey bees also played critical roles in pollinating crops brought over by European settlers, including apple and cherry trees and clover, which provided food for livestock and their communities.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
-
In this Gallic Neverland, there’s not a safety helmet (or nervous parent) in sight, which admittedly adds to the film’s feral energy.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
Fires ravaged the ballpark’s left-field bleachers in May 1926, and a tornado’s ferocious winds tore through additional sections of seats that July, and ownership could not afford to renovate.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2026
-
Noisy, ebullient, ferocious and free, Dance!—
SPIN Staff,
SPIN,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Rather than attacking all rapidly growing cells, as chemotherapy does, the drug targets a key cancer-driving pathway known as KRAS, which is involved in more than 90% of pancreatic tumors.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
5 June 2026
-
Akindahunsi is accused of attacking several women the night of May 28.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The iconic villain, portrayed by Robert Mitchum in 1962’s Cape Fear and by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s 1991 version, is back on screen in the new Apple TV adaptation.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2026
-
Dead-end conflict is where the hero and the villain, the good guys and the bad guys, essentially never have any opportunity for movement or reconciliation at the end of the story.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Savage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savage. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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