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
-
Margot Robbie once had the world's rudest coworker.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The other systems are even ruder.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Wade Wilson confessed to the savage murders of two women, yet even that brutality failed to repel admirers.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
15 Feb. 2026
-
On his second, Dominique pulled off a savage windmill, the same dunk that had earned a perfect score the year before and won him the title.—
Kevin Sherrington
Feb. 10,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Continue reading … -- IN OTHER NEWS VICTORY LAP — Tyler Reddick steals Daytona 500 win in wild last-lap shootout.—
,
FOXNews.com,
16 Feb. 2026
-
This region is the best place in the lower 48 to observe wild wolves, bears, and moose.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And director Hammond doesn’t let the primitive miniseries technology defeat him.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Their design was unpolished, even primitive, seemingly to convey a sense of slapdash amateurishness.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 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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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
-
These brave people have been risking their lives daily to protest this barbaric regime for more than two weeks now.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Uncivilized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncivilized. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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