as in attacked
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
book reviewers mercilessly savaged his latest novel
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Recent Examples of savaged
Chronic disease programs, in particular, have been savaged, whether those programs have been focused on oral health or tobacco control, to name a few.
—
Helen Branswell, STAT, 30 Mar. 2026
We’ve been dealt a nigh-unbearable hand when two of our communities were utterly savaged by fire.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
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
The committee’s Democratic members savaged Rubio for diminishing America’s global role; the meeting grew so rancorous that Senator Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho who was Rubio’s closest friend in the Senate, had to repeatedly bang his gavel to bring order.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The Blue Bag program went ahead despite being savaged by critics for years throughout its planning stages, and was not considered a success when it was scrapped more than a dozen years later for the city's current blue cart program.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Instead, it was largely savaged by critics, crushing for the man at its center.
—Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 18 Dec. 2025
In the book, Giuffre alleges that the pair trafficked her to many powerful men, including a prince and a former prime minister who savaged her.
—Robin Abcarian, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which savaged New Orleans and much of the Gulf region, led to a push to better understand how and why these storms occur, and what agencies could do to better prepare.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 28 Sep. 2025
Helen Branswell, STAT, 30 Mar. 2026
We’ve been dealt a nigh-unbearable hand when two of our communities were utterly savaged by fire.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
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
The committee’s Democratic members savaged Rubio for diminishing America’s global role; the meeting grew so rancorous that Senator Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho who was Rubio’s closest friend in the Senate, had to repeatedly bang his gavel to bring order.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The Blue Bag program went ahead despite being savaged by critics for years throughout its planning stages, and was not considered a success when it was scrapped more than a dozen years later for the city's current blue cart program.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Instead, it was largely savaged by critics, crushing for the man at its center.
—Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 18 Dec. 2025
In the book, Giuffre alleges that the pair trafficked her to many powerful men, including a prince and a former prime minister who savaged her.
—Robin Abcarian, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which savaged New Orleans and much of the Gulf region, led to a push to better understand how and why these storms occur, and what agencies could do to better prepare.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 28 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savaged
Verb
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Hours earlier, a vessel near the strait reported being attacked by several small boats.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
-
Iran warned Monday that any vessel attempting to transit the waterway would be attacked.—
May 4,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Gun control activists slammed the moves as dangerous and irresponsible just days after authorities say a man armed with guns and knives tried to storm the White House Correspondents' Association dinner and kill the Republican president.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 May 2026
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Mathieu Choiniere's soft header off a corner kick played to the back post by David Martinez bounced in front of the goal and Hollingshead slammed home the finish to cap the scoring.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Rogers scolded Musk on Tuesday morning for his recent social media posts about the trial and threatened a gag order before the jury arrived in the courtroom.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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So far, to Trump’s dismay, the plaintiff has won some victories; a federal judge repeatedly scolded government lawyers and halted work.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Savaged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savaged. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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