as in attacking
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
book reviewers mercilessly savaged his latest novel
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Recent Examples of savaging
For months, the two right-wing media stars had been savaging each other on their respective platforms.
—
Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savaging
Verb
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The crude market has been hit by wild volatility since the United States and Israel began striking Iran at the end of last month, with Tehran retaliating by attacking targets across the oil-rich Gulf and effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz.—
Nur Hikmah Md Ali,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
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After many of them, Trump officials moved quickly to justify the shooting and accuse the victim of attacking agents, all before an investigation had taken place.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Phillips then allegedly rushed the officer, wrapped his arms around him and lifted him off the ground before slamming him onto the pavement, leaving the officer with a concussion and a head laceration.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
18 Mar. 2026
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Avoid hard acceleration or slamming the brakes Maintaining a steady speed while driving is another way to maximize fuel efficiency.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In a viral video, the best supporting actress nominee is seen scolding a man in a crowd of people.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
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But Saxon said Ye kept him constantly on edge, demanding photo updates of construction work, scolding him for wearing blue instead of the all-black worker uniform Ye preferred, and suddenly adding 24/7 security duties to his workload.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Savaging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savaging. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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