noble savage

British  

noun

1. (in romanticism) an idealized view of primitive man

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noble savage Cultural  

1. Someone who belongs to an “uncivilized” group or tribe and is considered to be, consequently, more worthy than people who live within civilization. Many writers and thinkers through the centuries of Western civilization have believed in the noble savage. The expression is particularly associated with Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

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Example Sentences

His character avoids conventions of the so-called noble savage; Eli’s internal conflict pits his loyalty to his heritage against his history in the U.S.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2022

These scientists have replaced the myth of the noble savage with the myth of the savage savage.

From Scientific American • Nov. 23, 2017

On one level, trying to eat like a caveman is simply the latest version of Rousseau's noble savage.

From The Guardian • Apr. 24, 2013

But she’s most famous for The Piano, featuring Hunter as a mute woman who expresses herself only through music and Harvey Keitel as a noble savage.

From Slate • Mar. 18, 2013

"Oroonoko" refers to Afra Behn's introduction of the "noble savage" to English interest.

From A Letter Book Selected with an Introduction on the History and Art of Letter-Writing by Saintsbury, George