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

He drew notice as the killer Hanzee Dent in “Fargo” and the robot warrior Akecheta in “Westworld,” taking what were to some extent stereotypes of the implacable or noble savage and investing them with real emotion.

From New York Times

Rather the novel presents Tarzan as Rousseau’s unspoiled child of nature, a literally noble savage free from the vices and corruption associated with advanced industrial society.

From Washington Post

But Briones and other critics accuse the narrative of “perpetuating the myth of the noble savage and the white god.”

From Los Angeles Times

Although the 1919 book by Frederick O’Brien portrays white capitalists as destroyers of native culture, critics, including Briones, have accused the narrative of “perpetuating the myth of the noble savage and the white god.”

From Los Angeles Times