savageness

noun

Definition of savagenessnext
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others the unthinkable savageness that must be required to torture a prisoner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 savageness Government should tame the savageness of man and make life in this world more gentle, not crueler. — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savageness
  1. cruelty
  2. brutality
Noun
  • In late 2024, Spitze pleaded guilty to several charges related to child pornography and animal cruelty, and had been awaiting sentencing since then.
    — Mike Levine, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Brown is charged with two counts of kidnapping and two counts of first-degree cruelty to children.
    — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruelty
Noun
  • The film, which is playing Out of Competition on the Lido, charts the brutality of Spanish friar Padre Enciso over the population in the 17th century.
    — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Centrist Democrats are not socialists, not revolutionaries, and not disposed to blame Zionist conspiracies for every trouble in American life, including police brutality and urban gentrification.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of brutality

Browse Nearby Words

savagely
savageness
savagery
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Cite this Entry

“Savageness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savageness. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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