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savage

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adjective

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savage

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word savage different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of savage are barbarous, cruel, ferocious, and fierce. While all these words mean "showing fury or malignity in looks or actions," savage implies the absence of inhibitions restraining civilized people filled with rage, lust, or other violent passion.

a savage criminal

Where would barbarous be a reasonable alternative to savage?

Although the words barbarous and savage have much in common, barbarous implies a ferocity or mercilessness regarded as unworthy of civilized people.

barbarous treatment of prisoners

When would cruel be a good substitute for savage?

The words cruel and savage can be used in similar contexts, but cruel implies indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it.

the cruel jokes of schoolboys

When can ferocious be used instead of savage?

While in some cases nearly identical to savage, ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality.

a ferocious dog

When might fierce be a better fit than savage?

The synonyms fierce and savage are sometimes interchangeable, but fierce applies to humans and animals that inspire terror because of their wild and menacing aspect or fury in attack.

fierce warriors

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of savage
Noun
But where Goya would turn savage over Spain’s fortunes, Murillo stayed light, even cutesy. Walker Mimms, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2023 Along the way detailed signs provide information and locations of major incidents like the Bascom Affair and the Battle of Apache Pass, a savage fight between Cochise and 150 warriors and an advance guard of the California Column. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 13 Jan. 2023
Adjective
The abrupt end of a placidly unquestioned friendship unleashes a savage emotional battle. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 14 Dec. 2022 Prompted by a perfect storm of my mom’s terminal illness and my employer’s savage institutional sexism, the decision had shocked many but also made way for my writing dreams to come true. Sarah Smarsh, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
Verb
DeSantis, who has savaged one of the nominees as uniquely terrible, nonetheless acknowledged this was not the right trajectory for the GOP. Philip Elliott, Time, 2 Apr. 2025 Miami’s roster doesn’t even come close to comparing to Philadelphia, even after the Eagles got savaged in free agency by the rest of the league this month. Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for savage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savage
Noun
  • This freshly re-imagined Jag is worlds apart from that old German brute, but was similar in the sense of feeling wonderfully light and responsive, and utilizing hydraulic fluid to power its steering.
    Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
  • Cops released surveillance photos of a trio of brutes wanted for punching, repeatedly stabbing and robbing a man on a Bronx train last month.
    Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 7 June 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
Adjective
  • Each of the disciples have their own secrets to bear, life taking them on some brutal pathways, the piece leaning into powerful introspection.
    David John Chávez, Mercury News, 28 June 2025
  • Just over a decade had passed since the end of the brutal twelve-year-long conflict, and street protests often ended in violence.
    Graciela Mochkofsky, New Yorker, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • Advertisement Dawn of the Dead (1978) There's a credible case to be made that Romero's 1973 movie The Crazies, about a biological weapon that causes residents of a small town to go feral, qualifies as a zombie movie.
    James Grebey, Time, 20 June 2025
  • There are tribes of fast, feral predators that resemble the second coming of neanderthals.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Manchester City striker is one of the global game’s most ferocious and intelligent goalscorers.
    Megan Feringa, New York Times, 28 June 2025
  • Now, she’s added another competitive event to her list of favorites: F1, or Formula 1, largely considered the world's most ferocious and high-tech form of auto racing.
    Marco della Cava, USA Today, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • The wild and ugly scenes saw rioters attack law enforcement with rocks and Molotov cocktails while others burned vehicles and other property.
    Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025
  • Boone acknowledged that location will be key for Stroman, who can no longer attack hitters head-on at this stage of his career.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • Two of the game’s most brilliant villains have matured into eloquent eulogists.
    Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2025
  • For an industry which has long been treated by the television and film industries as a dirty, dangerous business run by unethical, cartoon-ish villains like J.R. Ewing, such a balanced portrayal is a welcome change, indeed.
    David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Savage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savage. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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