savage
1 of 3adjective
sav·age ˈsa-vij 
1
a
: not domesticated or under human control : untamed
savage beasts
b
: lacking the restraints normal to civilized human beings : fierce, ferocious
a savage criminal
2
: wild, uncultivated
seldom have I seen such savage scenery
Douglas Carruthers
Douglas Carruthers3
a
: boorish, rude
the savage bad manners of most motorists M. P. O'Connor
M. P. O'Connor b
: malicious
4
old-fashioned + offensive : lacking complex or advanced culture : uncivilized
savagely adverb
savageness noun
savage
2 of 3noun
plural savages
1
old-fashioned + offensive : a person belonging to a primitive society
2
: a brutal person
3
: a rude or unmannerly person
savage
3 of 3verb
savaged; savaging
transitive verb
: to attack or treat brutally
Synonyms
Adjective
- barbarian
- barbaric
- barbarous
- heathen
- heathenish
- natural
- Neanderthal
- Neandertal
- rude
- uncivil
- uncivilized
- uncultivated
- wild
Noun
- baddie
- baddy
- beast
- brute
- caitiff
- devil
- evildoer
- fiend
- heavy
- hound
- knave
- meanie
- meany
- miscreant
- monster
- nazi
- no-good
- rapscallion
- rascal
- reprobate
- rogue
- scalawag
- scallywag
- scamp
- scapegrace
- scoundrel
- varlet
- villain
- wretch
Verb
- abuse
- assail
- attack
- bash
- belabor
- blast
- castigate
- excoriate
- jump (on)
- lambaste
- lambast
- potshot
- scathe
- slam
- trash
- vituperate
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective He was the victim of a savage attack. The coast was lashed by savage storms. He wrote savage satires about people he didn't like. Noun What kind of savage could have committed such a terrible crime? what kind of savage would hurt a baby? Verb He looked like he'd been savaged by a wild animal. A hurricane savaged the city. The newspapers savaged his reputation. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022 But the Orchestre de Paris’s performance of the score, under Esa-Pekka Salonen, was properly savage, even raw — though also relished, unrushed. New York Times, 8 July 2022 What if your friends don't see your sassy and savage selfie caption as cute? Seventeen, 30 June 2022 The addition of Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons, the hilariously effete and savage leader of a Jewish London gang, was a stroke of brilliance. Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 10 June 2022 Chile’s qualifying campaign ended in March, with a home defeat to Uruguay, after which there was the predictable hand-wringing, along with savage post-mortems of the team’s humiliating decline. Daniel Alarcón, The New Yorker, 8 June 2022 Honestly, Nevermind included some pretty savage mockery. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 22 June 2022 Indonesia’s second president, Suharto, had ruled the country since Sukarno was ousted in 1967, overseeing not only a savage repression of the left but also a financial meltdown in the 1990s. New York Times, 9 June 2022 Russia’s indiscriminate shelling of civilians, to say nothing of the heinous treatment of Ukrainians in places like Bucha, shows how savage wars for land can be. Leif Wenar, WSJ, 2 May 2022 Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 9 Sep. 2022 The San Francisco 49ers’ fullback, employed at one of his savage sport’s most punishing positions, was stuck in a pain cycle. Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Sep. 2022 Two men are inextricably bound after covering up the savage murder of a schoolmate. Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2020 Maraniss, however, shatters the myth of the child-like savage. Louis Moore, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2022 In 1905, a savage Russian pogrom took hundreds of Jewish lives. New York Times, 19 Aug. 2022 Periodically, some writer will get too cute and make her just as savage and dumb as her cousin. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2022 At that same moment, audience members climbed onto the stage and subdued the attacker while the knife was still delivering savage thrusts. George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2022 The press crafted his image as both a noble Indian and a simple savage. Aram Goudsouzian, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2022 Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 10 May 2022 This same ecosystem treats any and all mainstream coverage of Democrats that doesn't savage them as infected by hypocrisy and double standards. Damon Linker, The Week, 8 Dec. 2021 Every issue in our society seems to have a political angle that someone can savage for news cycle advantage. Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2021 Meanwhile, Beijing’s recent crackdown on its domestic tech giants demonstrates the government’s willingness to savage the market cap of private industry. Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2021 On Twitter, the outgoing president frequently leveraged his more than 88 million followers to savage his rivals, boost allies, and sometimes spread falsehoods on a viral scale. Author: Tony Romm, Josh Dawsey, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Jan. 2021 In the months after the pandemic started to savage the economy in March, consumer bankruptcy filings in South Florida trailed the numbers filed in 2019. David Lyons, sun-sentinel.com, 21 Dec. 2020 At Maryland, punter Wade Lees watched Knight savage his teammates and realized upon transferring to UCLA a few years later that the Bruins could use that sort of ferociousness. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2020 The sometimes savage themes of her paintings have been interpreted as expressions of wrathful catharsis. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2020 See More
Adjective
But the digital natives were savage elsewhere on Twitter, while others tried to bridge the gap. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022 But the Orchestre de Paris’s performance of the score, under Esa-Pekka Salonen, was properly savage, even raw — though also relished, unrushed. New York Times, 8 July 2022 What if your friends don't see your sassy and savage selfie caption as cute? Seventeen, 30 June 2022 The addition of Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons, the hilariously effete and savage leader of a Jewish London gang, was a stroke of brilliance. Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 10 June 2022 Chile’s qualifying campaign ended in March, with a home defeat to Uruguay, after which there was the predictable hand-wringing, along with savage post-mortems of the team’s humiliating decline. Daniel Alarcón, The New Yorker, 8 June 2022 Honestly, Nevermind included some pretty savage mockery. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 22 June 2022 Indonesia’s second president, Suharto, had ruled the country since Sukarno was ousted in 1967, overseeing not only a savage repression of the left but also a financial meltdown in the 1990s. New York Times, 9 June 2022 Russia’s indiscriminate shelling of civilians, to say nothing of the heinous treatment of Ukrainians in places like Bucha, shows how savage wars for land can be. Leif Wenar, WSJ, 2 May 2022 Noun
Herman Tilke designed the track, which uses the topography of its location to create some savage elevation changes, with many corner apexes hidden by crests. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 9 Sep. 2022 The San Francisco 49ers’ fullback, employed at one of his savage sport’s most punishing positions, was stuck in a pain cycle. Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Sep. 2022 Two men are inextricably bound after covering up the savage murder of a schoolmate. Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2020 Maraniss, however, shatters the myth of the child-like savage. Louis Moore, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2022 In 1905, a savage Russian pogrom took hundreds of Jewish lives. New York Times, 19 Aug. 2022 Periodically, some writer will get too cute and make her just as savage and dumb as her cousin. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2022 At that same moment, audience members climbed onto the stage and subdued the attacker while the knife was still delivering savage thrusts. George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2022 The press crafted his image as both a noble Indian and a simple savage. Aram Goudsouzian, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2022 Verb
Aircraft armed with Quicksinks could savage more heavily defended convoys, particularly those ferrying amphibious marines, if another asset such as a submarine or B-1B bomber disabled or sank the convoy’s escorts. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 10 May 2022 This same ecosystem treats any and all mainstream coverage of Democrats that doesn't savage them as infected by hypocrisy and double standards. Damon Linker, The Week, 8 Dec. 2021 Every issue in our society seems to have a political angle that someone can savage for news cycle advantage. Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2021 Meanwhile, Beijing’s recent crackdown on its domestic tech giants demonstrates the government’s willingness to savage the market cap of private industry. Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2021 On Twitter, the outgoing president frequently leveraged his more than 88 million followers to savage his rivals, boost allies, and sometimes spread falsehoods on a viral scale. Author: Tony Romm, Josh Dawsey, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Jan. 2021 In the months after the pandemic started to savage the economy in March, consumer bankruptcy filings in South Florida trailed the numbers filed in 2019. David Lyons, sun-sentinel.com, 21 Dec. 2020 At Maryland, punter Wade Lees watched Knight savage his teammates and realized upon transferring to UCLA a few years later that the Bruins could use that sort of ferociousness. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2020 The sometimes savage themes of her paintings have been interpreted as expressions of wrathful catharsis. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, from Anglo-French salvage, savage, from Late Latin salvaticus, alteration of Latin silvaticus of the woods, wild, from silva wood, forest
First Known Use
Adjective
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1880, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing savage
Kids Definition
savage 1 of 2
adjective
sav·age ˈsa-vij
1
: not tamed : wild
savage beasts
2
: being cruel and brutal : fierce
a savage attack
savage
2 of 2noun
1
: a person belonging to a group with a low level of civilization
2
: a cruel or violent person
Biographical Definition
Savage
biographical name
Sav·age ˈsa-vij
Michael Joseph 1872–1940 prime minister of New Zealand (1935–40)
savage 1 of 3
noun
1
as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person what kind of savage would hurt a baby? Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- brute
- villain
- monster
- beast
- criminal
- devil
- nazi
- offender
- bandit
- wretch
- heavy
- thug
- rogue
- assassin
- scoundrel
- reprobate
- scapegrace
- rascal
- caitiff
- scamp
- knave
- gangster
- miscreant
- hound
- scalawag
- fiend
- varlet
- rapscallion
- evildoer
- meanie
- snake
- perpetrator
- baddie
- crook
- meany
- baddy
- blackguard
- scallywag
- no-good
- loser
- rough
- outlaw
- viper
- trespasser
- cutthroat
- felon
- desperado
- serpent
- ruffian
- transgressor
- rowdy
- villainess
- tough
- sinner
- hooligan
- lawbreaker
- culprit
- cad
- perp
- hoodlum
- heel
- malefactor
- convict
- wrongdoer
- lowlife
- con
- bravo
- jailbird
- goon
- racketeer
- gunman
- stinker
- trash
- ne'er-do-well
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- innocent
- hero
- angel
- saint
2
as in barbarian
an uncivilized person inhabitants of exotic lands were invariably portrayed by early travel writers as savages Synonyms & Similar Words
- barbarian
- primitive
- heathen
- noble savage
- Neanderthal
savage
2 of 3adjective
1
as in rude
not civilized Tarzan is usually portrayed as a noble but savage warrior of the jungle Synonyms & Similar Words
- barbarian
- rude
- wild
- barbaric
- barbarous
- primitive
- uncivilized
- heathenish
- heathen
- uncivil
- natural
- uncultivated
- Neanderthal
- crude
- coarse
- rough
- uncouth
- Neandertal
- uncultured
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- civilized
- humane
- sophisticated
- enlightened
- cultured
- genteel
- polite
- urbane
- refined
- polished
- well-bred
- semicivilized
2
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others a savage attack on a helpless person Synonyms & Similar Words
- brutal
- vicious
- cruel
- ruthless
- barbaric
- barbarous
- merciless
- murderous
- ferocious
- brute
- inhuman
- sadistic
- heartless
- inhumane
- truculent
- fiendish
- atrocious
- wanton
- oppressive
- harsh
- pitiless
- hateful
- butcherly
- bloodthirsty
- malicious
- sanguinary
- fell
- grim
- unfeeling
- cutthroat
- red in tooth and claw
- vindictive
- spiteful
- malignant
- malevolent
- hard-hearted
- malign
- draconian
- sanguine
- ironhearted
- nasty
- catty
- stonyhearted
- despiteful
- mean
- draconic
- heavy-handed
- hardhanded
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- humane
- kind
- sympathetic
- benign
- compassionate
- benignant
- warm
- kindhearted
- tenderhearted
- merciful
- peaceable
- good-hearted
- pitying
- tender
- peaceful
- warmhearted
- lenient
- pacific
- charitable
- clement
3
as in feral
living outdoors without taming or domestication by humans savage beasts that seemed threatening to the tourists Synonyms & Similar Words
- feral
- wild
- wilding
- untamed
- brutal
- unbroken
- brute
- bestial
- undomesticated
- barbarous
- uncivilized
- uncontrolled
- unsubdued
- untrained
- undocile
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- tame
- domestic
- domesticated
- tamed
- subdued
- broken
- docile
- controlled
- busted
- submissive
- familiar
- civilized
- gentled
- trained
- socialized
- semidomesticated
- halterbroken
- housebroken
- semicivilized
4
as in ferocious
violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition early explorers avoided those areas that were rumored to be inhabited by savage natives Synonyms & Similar Words
- ferocious
- vicious
- fierce
- merciless
- ruthless
- brute
- fell
- murderous
- grim
- menacing
- murdering
- warlike
- relentless
- barbaric
- militant
- bellicose
- wild
- belligerent
- bestial
- pugnacious
- assaultive
- uncivilized
- combative
- pitiless
- ravenous
- bloodthirsty
- contentious
- inhuman
- feisty
- confrontational
- gladiatorial
- threatening
- bloody
- truculent
- sanguinary
- inhumane
- brawly
- quarrelsome
- scrappy
- implacable
- heartless
- unrelenting
- homicidal
- bare-knuckled
- discordant
- bare-knuckles
- chippy
- disputatious
- take-no-prisoners
- argumentative
- blood-and-guts
- in-your-face
- bare-knuckle
- rapacious
- wanton
- voracious
- sanguine
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- mild
- gentle
- tame
- congenial
- warm
- friendly
- genial
- kind
- hearty
- human
- merciful
- peaceable
- submissive
- amicable
- compassionate
- cordial
- benign
- civilized
- peaceful
- amiable
- unaggressive
- pacific
- compliant
- humane
- companionable
- comradely
- warmhearted
- cultured
- complaisant
- obliging
savage
3 of 3verb
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly book reviewers mercilessly savaged his latest novel Synonyms & Similar Words
- attack
- abuse
- slam
- scold
- vituperate
- insult
- blast
- scathe
- assail
- criticize
- potshot
- excoriate
- curse
- bash
- trash
- tie into
- light into
- affront
- profane
- sail into
- harry
- lambaste
- harass
- revile
- blackguard
- harangue
- beat up on
- lambast
- castigate
- execrate
- slur
- jump (on)
- reprimand
- imprecate
- belabor
- berate
- blaspheme
- slander
- asperse
- libel
- whip
- disparage
- rebuke
- vilify
- belittle
- chastise
- fulminate
- chide
- put down
- traduce
- bad-mouth
- lash (out)
- lace (into)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- praise
- compliment
- hail
- commend
- laud
- acclaim
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of savage are barbarous, cruel, ferocious, and fierce. While all these words mean "showing fury or malignity in looks or actions," savage implies the absence of inhibitions restraining civilized people filled with rage, lust, or other violent passion.
a savage criminal
Although the words barbarous and savage have much in common, barbarous implies a ferocity or mercilessness regarded as unworthy of civilized people.
barbarous treatment of prisoners
The words cruel and savage can be used in similar contexts, but cruel implies indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it.
the cruel jokes of schoolboys
While in some cases nearly identical to savage, ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality.
a ferocious dog
The synonyms fierce and savage are sometimes interchangeable, but fierce applies to humans and animals that inspire terror because of their wild and menacing aspect or fury in attack.
fierce warriors