as in barbarian
not civilized
unfairly branded as uncivilized by European explorers, they had created a culture that was actually quite advanced
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Recent Examples of uncivilized
There is no doubt uncivilized — and sometimes violent — acts have taken place in school bathrooms.
—
Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2022
Roxane Gay: For all our cultural obsession with civility, there is nothing more uncivilized than the political establishment’s acceptance of the constancy of mass shootings.
—New York Times, 26 May 2022
Sure, the song (apparently written about writer Quentin Crisp) is just about the alienating sense of being an outsider, of having people judge you for your accent or aspiring to civility in an uncivilized land.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2022
The Qing emperors themselves were not Han either, but Manchu, a people from the other side of the Great Wall who had traditionally been regarded as uncivilized nomads.
—Ian Buruma, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for uncivilized
Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2022
Roxane Gay: For all our cultural obsession with civility, there is nothing more uncivilized than the political establishment’s acceptance of the constancy of mass shootings.
—New York Times, 26 May 2022
Sure, the song (apparently written about writer Quentin Crisp) is just about the alienating sense of being an outsider, of having people judge you for your accent or aspiring to civility in an uncivilized land.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2022
The Qing emperors themselves were not Han either, but Manchu, a people from the other side of the Great Wall who had traditionally been regarded as uncivilized nomads.
—Ian Buruma, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for uncivilized
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncivilized
Adjective
-
Ashley Johnson and star/executive producer Travis Willingham tee up what's coming for their soft barbarian lady.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Bailey plays half-elf ranger Vex, O’Brien is her twin brother Vax, Willingham is the lovable barbarian Grog, Johnson is the holy gnome cleric Pike, Jaffe is the royal gunslinger Percy, Ray is magical half-elf druid Keyleth and Riegel is the raunchy gnome bard Scanlan.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
Perhaps surprisingly, the unfair pay and rude management didn’t trigger the most significant changes in attitude.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Whether a dish is tied to a long-standing family tradition, cultural heritage, or simply a treasured memory, etiquette experts say there’s nothing rude about choosing to keep certain recipes private.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
They were met with savage brutality, with as many as 30,000 murdered by their own government.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
-
But they were met with savage brutality, with as many as 30,000 souls murdered by their own government.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
While reading the manga, Godoy would take photos of Luffy’s wildest faces to try to include them in his performance.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Tommy Novak scored 17 seconds into overtime to complete a wild comeback in the Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-4 victory over the Boston Bruins on Sunday.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The aesthetic is plush but also primitive.—
Kathryn Romeyn,
Architectural Digest,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Some futurists compare this development to our primitive ancestors’ discovery of fire.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Lies told by people who are simply too afraid to look at such an ugly, barbarous reality.—
Clare Malone,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
In the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, a man dressed as a cop shot two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, killing the DFL speaker of the House and her husband in a barbarous (and politically motivated) atrocity.—
Jeffrey Blehar,
National Review,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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Is there any knowing what would have happened, had these crimes not been captured in all their barbaric glory?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
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Then there's all the additional atrocities she's been exposed to this season, like the barbaric violence of the Legion.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Uncivilized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncivilized. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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