as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
the unthinkable savageness that must be required to torture a prisoner
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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
Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savageness
Noun
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Most importantly, Kaiser went on national radio and warned that democracy itself could not survive if America returned to the greed, monopoly and economic cruelty that had scarred the industrial age.—
Tom Debley,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
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O'Neill was charged with 19 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, two dog housing violations and one misdemeanor for violating bail conditions from his previous charges, according to DPH.—
Marcella Baietto,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Noun
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Unfortunately, Florida’s leaders seem to have set their sights on any reminder that the state’s historic brutality should still inspire action today.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 June 2026
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More than a decade later, Ike Barinholtz is opening up about the Police Academy reboot that was scrapped amid a rise in lethal police brutality.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Savageness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savageness. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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