SAVAGES Synonyms: 143 Similar and Opposite Words

savages 1 of 2

noun

plural of savage

as in brutes

a mean, evil, or unprincipled person what kind of savage would hurt a baby?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in barbarians

an uncivilized person inhabitants of exotic lands were invariably portrayed by early travel writers as savages

Synonyms & Similar Words

savages

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of savage

as in attacks

to criticize harshly and usually publicly book reviewers mercilessly savaged his latest novel

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 savages

Noun

And potentially discover treasure that will keep the savages at home from tearing the place down. — Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 Or a group of shipwrecked boys turning into savages and killing one another? — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026 The Indians in Westerns had war paint and whooped like savages. — Literary Hub, 28 May 2026 Smoothbrain libs and savages can KMA. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026 This notion was based on outdated presumptions of hillforts as being occupied by violent, prehistoric savages. — News Desk, Artforum, 10 Apr. 2026 Or Irish, in a time when they were seen as savages by the Englishmen? — Arushi Jacob, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for savages

Noun

These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.

— Keith Sutton, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2026
In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of brutes

Noun

The world drew heavily from the paintings of fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta, who depicted scenes of barbarians and beasts in conflict, of pulp fiction heroes, femme fatales, and fierce warrior women.

— Steve Appleford, SPIN, 29 June 2026
To an outsider, the scene may spark a certain Schadenfreude, like an army of tiny barbarians sacking Rome.

— Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

Definition of barbarians

Verb

Sheepstealer attacks Syrax, who breaks free long enough to pick up Rhaenyra and Rhaena and carry them back to the safety of King’s Landing.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
Shortly after she was diagnosed with class 3 lupus nephritis, a serious complication in which lupus attacks the kidneys.

— Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of attacks

Noun

Still, bonus points for casting Chukwudi Iwuji as the menacing High Evolutionary, one of the oddest and most unsettling Marvel villains in recent memory.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
This trend suggests a need for new, effective villains to balance the roster.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of villains

Verb

Someone else scolds the offender.

— Judith Martin, Mercury News, 16 June 2026
Inspired by This Is Spinal Tap, Cundieff makes quick work of lambasting the casual misogyny and homophobia ingrained in hardcore rap, but also of the media scolds unable to parse the message of the music.

— Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026

Definition of scolds

Noun

But Kova is shocked to discover her sweetheart taking up with someone new, who may be linked to the monsters dragging Stormwatch’s inhabitants into the ocean.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Aug. 2026
For additional context, the war against the Locust kicks off only a few weeks after the 79-year conflict between human factions known as the Pendulum Wars, which explains why the COG wasn't in the best of conditions when the monsters attacked.

— Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of monsters

Verb

Before more cameras appear, your community deserves clear answers about who can search the records, how long the data stays available and what happens when someone abuses access.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026
New York City’s child welfare agency routinely abuses its emergency power to take children from their parents without a court order, creating lifelong consequences for families, a new class-action lawsuit seeking to end the practice alleged Thursday.

— Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 28 May 2026

Definition of abuses

Noun

That gives criminals several ways to target you, even when your Paidwork balance was nearly empty.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Cyber criminals are using highly convincing counterfeit audio, video, and identity fabrications as tools in ways that conventional detection methods will fail to identify.

— Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of criminals

Browse Nearby Words

savagery

savages

savaging

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Savages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savages. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of savages

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on savages

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

nurture

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes