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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Nothing that reflects the sheer abjection of the murderous dog pounds of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries or the many individual cruelties visited upon dogs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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There are allegories that can be read about fear of the unknown breeding cruelty and exploitation, but Disclosure Day is first and foremost a propulsive yarn with thematic roots in hope, truth, empathy and perhaps even spirituality.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2026
Noun
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For a president who frequently threatens his opponents with violence, that brutality is surely part of the allure.—
Bhumika Tharoor,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
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In the years since, Corado’s name has become a rallying cry for the local movement against police brutality.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Savageness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savageness. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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