SAVAGE Synonyms: 308 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'savage' different from other adjectives like it?

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

Q: Where would 'barbarous' be a reasonable alternative to 'savage'?

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

Q: When would 'cruel' be a good substitute for 'savage'?

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

Q: When can 'ferocious' be used instead of 'savage'?

While in some cases nearly identical to savage , ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality. // a ferocious dog

Q: When might 'fierce' be a better fit than 'savage'?

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

savage 1 of 3

noun

Definition of savage

as in brute

a mean, evil, or unprincipled person what kind of savage would hurt a baby?

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as in barbarian

an uncivilized person inhabitants of exotic lands were invariably portrayed by early travel writers as savages

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savage

2 of 3

adjective

ˈsa-vij

as in rude

not civilized Tarzan is usually portrayed as a noble but savage warrior of the jungle

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in brutal

having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others a savage attack on a helpless person

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as in feral

living outdoors without taming or domestication by humans savage beasts that seemed threatening to the tourists

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in ferocious

violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition early explorers avoided those areas that were rumored to be inhabited by savage natives

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savage

3 of 3

verb

as in to attack

to criticize harshly and usually publicly book reviewers mercilessly savaged his latest novel

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How is the word savage different from other adjectives like it?

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

Where would barbarous be a reasonable alternative to savage?

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

When would cruel be a good substitute for savage?

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

When can ferocious be used instead of savage?

While in some cases nearly identical to savage, ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality.

a ferocious dog

When might fierce be a better fit than savage?

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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of savage

Noun

For all its characteristic restraint and formal diligence, Killing Spree is a book that wants to make noise, to cut through the dead air with cries of grief and rage, undoing our own savage torpor. — Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026 And potentially discover treasure that will keep the savages at home from tearing the place down. — Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Adjective

But The Spiral is well worth a look in its original form, its nefarious developments tied into European class pride and vanity with savage glee. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 Sixteen months after his savage takedown of L’Avenue, the fashion-world canteen on swanky Avenue Montaigne, Yann has become a major thorn in the side of Paris chefs and restaurant owners. — Alexander Lobrano, Air Mail, 5 Sep. 2026

Verb

The urgency of the situation didn’t satiate the rage of pensioners and the public, who savaged Starmer’s government in the press. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026 Interest groups have capitalized on those fears, savaging any politician who dares to touch senior benefits or taxes. — Jessica Riedl, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for savage

Recent Examples of Synonyms for savage

Noun

Most sportsmen wonder how any whitetail bucks, let alone a brute such as Kontras’, could have been so easily patterned.

— Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
The show’s depiction of Hugh as a family man has been much more sympathetic than the book’s description of him as a power-hungry brute.

— James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of brute

Adjective

Were my siblings rude to ignore my plan and take them for themselves?

— Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
An alligator with a sense of humor knocked on a North Carolina woman’s front door in the middle of the night, and the rascal got a rather rude response.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of rude

Adjective

While uptight Elinor excels at hiding her feelings for the similarly taciturn Edward, Marianne goes wild (nearly feral, really) when new neighbor Willoughby saves her from physical injury (literally sweeping her off her feet and a wincing ankle).

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
The murder of the family is graphic enough, but what happens to Ethan and Ivy is far more perverse, especially when Ivy’s apparently dead body is defiled by one of the feral desert gang members.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of feral

Adjective

After the initial blast, which spews out gamma rays, a storm of radiation pours into the surrounding galaxy, creating a ferocious afterglow that burns in every part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
The characters thrust and parry with ferocious wit in an upscale California desert setting that scenic designer Scott Pask generically satirizes as a category of social living.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of ferocious

Verb

Protesters, many of whom have been seen carrying Palestinian flags, have set fire to historic buildings and attacked civilians.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026
Electrons can then leak out of the chain, bonding with oxygen in the wrong parts of the mitochondria to form highly reactive free radicals that attack and deform neighboring molecules.

— Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of attack

Noun

Rival fans were quick to jump all over this fact, given that both the Panthers and the Tkachuk brothers were seen as polarizing villains throughout the NHL.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Is that the most difficult thing for you as the showrunner of a political show today — a president as a villain?

— Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of villain

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savable

savage

savaged

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“Savage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savage. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of savage

noun

adjective

verb

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