1
as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
what kind of savage would hurt a baby?
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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
Laurence Miedema, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Democrats savaged the proposal, warning electing justices would weaken judicial independence.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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
They were savaged so badly in Rolling Stone that, a decade later, the writer apologized for betraying the team’s trust.
—Laurence Miedema, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Democrats savaged the proposal, warning electing justices would weaken judicial independence.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for savage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savage
Noun
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Then comes the arrival of General Zod and his two primary compatriots – a warrior woman and a silent hulking brute – who do battle with Superman around the city, causing much destruction and threatening the life of Lois Lane and her Daily Planet coworkers.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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By the end of the episode, the audience is eager to meet the antihero, the brute, that everyone is talking about.—
Maelle Beauget-Uhl,
Forbes,
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
-
Proctor sent a series of rude, lewd and unprofessional text messages about Read and the investigation, which led to his firing.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2025
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There was also a three-homer game for Pablo Sandoval in the 2012 World Series, but it’s considered rude to talk about that in 2025.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Adjective
-
When local Officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she’s left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
12 May 2025
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Bruno Silva via first-round KO This finish was absolutely brutal.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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It is estimated that there are currently between 60 and 100 million stray and feral cats across America, and most of them live their life in the streets without ever even making it to an animal shelter.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
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The digital nomad stereotype persists: feral twenty-somethings earning $2,000 monthly in Thailand.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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The crisis is in plain view and the wind is ferocious.—
Mark A. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
-
His Hozier cover was at turns strategic and nuanced, then unleashed and ferocious.—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
5 May 2025
Verb
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One factor in that attacking improvement may be that, counterintuitively, Chelsea have actually managed to average significantly more fast breaks (1.9, up from 1.3) and direct attacks (2.9, up from 2.6) in the matches where their possession percentage has ticked up into the 60s.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
10 May 2025
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While in federal prison, according to the Bureau of Prisons, Stroud attacked another inmate, resulting in his transfer to USP Leavenworth.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2025
Noun
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Frey was the Game of Thrones villain who orchestrated that show’s infamous Red Wedding, a premeditated and highly violent attack on a large group of people that took place during a wedding reception.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
13 May 2025
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The filmmaker released a 15-second preview of the trailer, featuring footage of a battle between Superman and a mechanized villain named the Hammer of Boravia.—
Michileen Martin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Savage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savage. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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