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
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
Whereas Saidian Orientalism understood the Eastern Other as fundamentally backward and uncivilized, however, techno-Orientalism presents an upgraded vision of the Asian as threateningly futuristic and advanced.
—Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 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
There is only one religion in uncivilized society, and that is Kendall Roy.
—Natalie Lin, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for uncivilized
Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2022
Whereas Saidian Orientalism understood the Eastern Other as fundamentally backward and uncivilized, however, techno-Orientalism presents an upgraded vision of the Asian as threateningly futuristic and advanced.
—Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 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
There is only one religion in uncivilized society, and that is Kendall Roy.
—Natalie Lin, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2021
See All Example Sentences for uncivilized
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncivilized
Adjective
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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
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The economy will not thrive on backward, barbarian technologies and our babies will suffer from the burden of debt, bad air and blackouts.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Some posed for photos, others made rude gestures, and many simply stared.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
27 July 2025
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The movie’s off-color humor wouldn’t fly today, but its rebellious spirit remains hilariously defiant — a refreshingly rude retort to the niceties of family films and their cringey feel-good messages.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
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As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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The movie's wild success even knocked the popular A Minecraft Movie out of its top spot — and made history as the first horror in 35 years to receive an A from CinemaScore, a company that polls opening-night audiences.—
Staff Author,
People.com,
2 Aug. 2025
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Types reportedly in service include the Sting made by wild Hornets, ODIN’s Win_Hit and the AngryCat made by Venator Technologies, and images have emerged of unidentified types.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
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Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Adjective
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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
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Wednesday night’s barbarous shooting of two Israeli Embassy employees — gunned down, shot in the back allegedly by a pro-Palestinian activist while leaving a peace event at the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. — is more than a mere workaday atrocity.—
Jeffrey Blehar,
National Review,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Most of us wouldn’t consider the Middle Ages the epitome of medical sophistication, thanks to our perception of their barbaric and (from a modern perspective) ridiculous strategies for helping the ill.—
Jenny Lehmann,
Discover Magazine,
17 July 2025
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The October 7 massacre was not merely an act of barbaric terrorism.—
Ami Ayalon,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Uncivilized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncivilized. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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