savage
adjective
fierce, ferocious, or cruel; untamed.
savage
1 American
[sav-ij]
/ ˈsæv ɪdʒ /
adjective
-
fierce, ferocious, or cruel; untamed.
savage beasts.
- Synonyms:
- bloodthirsty, fell, feral, wild
- Antonyms:
- mild
-
Offensive. relating to or being a preliterate people or society regarded as uncivilized or primitive.
-
enraged or furiously angry, as a person.
-
unpolished; rude.
savage manners.
- Antonyms:
- cultured
-
wild or rugged, as country or scenery.
savage wilderness.
- Synonyms:
- uncultivated, rough
- Antonyms:
- cultivated
-
Archaic. uncultivated; growing wild.
noun
-
savages
plural
verb (used with object)
-
savages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
savaged,
past participle, past
-
savaging
present participle
-
to assault and maul by biting, rending, goring, etc.; tear at or mutilate.
numerous sheep savaged by dogs.
-
to attack or criticize thoroughly or remorselessly; excoriate.
a play savaged by the critics.
-
to greatly weaken, damage, or harm.
The age of automation and globalization, with companies searching for lower wages overseas, has savaged organized labor.
Savage
2
American
[sav-ij]
/ ˈsæv ɪdʒ /
noun
-
Michael Joseph, 1872–1940, New Zealand statesman and labor leader: prime minister 1935–40.
-
Richard, 1697?–1743, English poet.
savage
1
British
/ ˈsævɪdʒ /
adjective
-
wild; untamed
savage beasts of the jungle
-
ferocious in temper; vicious
a savage dog
-
uncivilized; crude
savage behaviour
-
(of peoples) nonliterate or primitive
a savage tribe
-
(of terrain) rugged and uncultivated
-
obsolete far from human habitation
noun
-
a member of a nonliterate society, esp one regarded as primitive
-
a crude or uncivilized person
-
a fierce or vicious person or animal
verb
-
to criticize violently
-
to attack ferociously and wound
the dog savaged the child
Savage
2
British
/ ˈsævɪdʒ /
noun
Synonym Usage
See cruel.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
savagedomnoun
-
savagenessnoun
-
unsavagenessnoun
-
half-savageadjective
-
presavageadjective
-
quasi-savageadjective
-
semisavageadjective
-
unsavageadjective
-
half-savagelyadverb
-
quasi-savagelyadverb
-
savagelyadverb
-
unsavagelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
savagesimple
-
savagessimple
-
have savagedperfect
-
has savagedperfect
-
am savagingprogressive
-
are savagingprogressive
-
is savagingprogressive
-
have been savagingperfect progressive
-
has been savagingperfect progressive
Past
-
savagedsimple
-
had savagedperfect
-
was savagingprogressive
-
were savagingprogressive
-
had been savagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of savage
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English adjective savage, saveage, sauvage, salvage, from Old French sauvage, salvage, savage, Anglo-French sawage, from Medieval Latin salvāticus, for Latin silvāticus, equivalent to silv(a) “woods” + -āticus adjective suffix; noun derivative of the adjective
Explanation
A polar bear in a zoo might look like an adorable giant stuffed animal, but if you met a hungry one in its native environment, it would seem more savage — wild and fierce — than cute. Describing an animal as savage means that it is true to its wild, ferocious nature, but if you describe a person or the actions of a person as savage, it means "cruel" or "brutal." A place can also be described as savage if it's untamed, uninhabitable, and unwelcoming. When savage takes the form of a noun, it means "a brutal person," and when it's a verb it means "to attack ferociously." Any way you use it, savage is uncivilized and violent.
Vocabulary lists containing savage
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Its savage truth explains Black folks’ deep compassion for British scholar Jason Arday, and the widespread anger over concerted efforts to assassinate his character before he was found dead.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
It was the longest city siege in the savage history of modern warfare.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The triumph of modern humanity over our savage natures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
But under million-dollar luxury apartments chilled by whirling air conditioners, tenants in one of Seoul's last shanty towns suffer headaches in the savage heat.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
"And I think, perhaps," said Shasta, "someone ought to be told that there's an army of savage Calormenes attacking Anvard at this very moment."
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
Speaking to BBC News's Mark Savage ahead of her record-breaking run, Newman said it had given her "goosebumps and chills".
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026
“In our view this is more than offset by the strength in subscription revenue,” analyst Chris Savage says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
Director Rob Savage and screenwriter Nathan Elston do not solely blame Ursula for the problems within her family unit.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
Friends Katie Mccabrey and Amy Savage were among those who went along to try and get one of the first copies when the embargo broke.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Moreover, for at least three days of that week they would be in the Savage Reservation.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
“What are we? Humans? Or animals? Or savages? What’s grown-ups going to think?” cries Piggy, the book’s preteen standard-bearer for logic and civilization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
"We're not savages, we're not animals, we're not aliens; we are humans and we are Americans," the singer said after being given the Grammy for Best Musica Urbana Album.
From Barron's ● Feb. 2, 2026
His uncompromising hostility toward revolutionaries inspired Thomas Paine to remark in 1776, “Even brutes do not devour their young, nor savages make war upon their families.”
From National Geographic ● Jul. 3, 2023
"It's dangerous there, people have become savages and they hate each other. I tried to stay there so my kids could be close to their family, but I couldn't continue because nobody helped me."
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2023
“We’re not savages, you know. In fact, we’re quite civilized.”
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
During one of Musk’s visits in 2016, Brown watched in panic as Musk savaged a demonstration from a legendary researcher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Though critics savaged the movie, opening night audiences gave it an average grade of A-, according to market research firm CinemaScore.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
We’ve been dealt a nigh-unbearable hand when two of our communities were utterly savaged by fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
England were savaged back home following the defeat on Saturday.
From Barron's ● Nov. 24, 2025
I told him, and I am telling you now, that although she’d been savaged by her awful disease, she was a beautiful woman.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
Social-media users are savaging promotions depicting unnaturally regular greens, shrimp like O-rings, unhealthily slick noodles and stippled chicken.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
It emphasized the long-standing national tradition of cartoons savaging public figures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
People would keep one eye on their bank accounts for missed deposits and the other on Wall Street, where concerns over the nation's creditworthiness could be savaging the value of people's life savings.
From Reuters ● May 23, 2023
We have always had divisive politics in the United States, going back to when Jefferson and Hamilton started savaging each other during the Washington administration.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 7, 2022
Crookshanks darted up first; he had evidently pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk, because Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron clambered upward without any sound of savaging branches.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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