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
  • Christopher Stefanou of Long Island is charged with animal cruelty and breaking rules about shark fishing, Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois said Wednesday.
    — Neal Riley, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Florida House Bill 559 recently created new guidelines to address animal cruelty across the state, including by allowing municipalities to increase fines and penalties.
    — Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of cruelty
Noun
  • Dupuy-Spencer had a reputation for clear-eyed renderings of both the tenderness and the brutality of our world; here, darker forces prevail.
    — Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • However, Gates, who resigned in the wake of the 1992 LA Riots, was also viewed as leaving a legacy of police brutality and racial tension.
    — Tom Wait, CBS News, 22 Oct. 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 27 Oct. 2026.

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