savage

[ sav-ij ]

/ ˈsæv ɪdʒ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR savage ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

fierce, ferocious, or cruel; untamed: savage beasts.

uncivilized; barbarous: savage tribes.

enraged or furiously angry, as a person.

unpolished; rude: savage manners.

wild or rugged, as country or scenery: savage wilderness.

Archaic. uncultivated; growing wild.

noun

an uncivilized human being.

a fierce, brutal, or cruel person.

a rude, boorish person.

a member of a preliterate society.

verb (used with object), sav·aged, sav·ag·ing.

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.

Nearby words

sauve qui peut, sauvignon, sauvignon blanc, sav, sava, savage, savage's station, savage, richard, savagely, savagery, savagism

Origin of savage

1250–1300; Middle English savage, sauvage (adj.) < Middle French sauvage, salvage < Medieval Latin salvāticus, for Latin silvāticus, equivalent to silv(a) woods + -āticus adj. suffix

SYNONYMS FOR savage

1 wild, feral, fell; bloodthirsty.

2 wild.

3 infuriated.

5 rough, uncultivated.

9 churl, oaf.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR savage ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR savage

1 mild.

2, 4 cultured.

5 cultivated.

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Related forms

sav·age·ly, adverbsav·age·ness, nounhalf-sav·age, adjectivehalf-sav·age·ly, adverb

pre·sav·age, adjectivequa·si-sav·age, adjectivequa·si-sav·age·ly, adverbsem·i·sav·age, adjectivesem·i·sav·age, nounun·sav·age, adjectiveun·sav·age·ly, adverbun·sav·age·ness, noun

Synonym study

1. See cruel.

Definition for savage (2 of 2)

Savage

[ sav-ij ]

/ ˈsæv ɪdʒ /

noun

Michael Joseph,1872–1940, New Zealand statesman and labor leader: prime minister 1935–40.

Richard,1697?–1743, English poet.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for savage

Bolstered by the momentum of Savage, Masters continued to accumulate up-and-coming conservative talent.
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After two years, the dispute ended with an arbitration ruling in favor of Savage.
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a 2009 profile of the right-wing firebrand, The New Yorker called Savage “a heretic among heretics.”
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Savage noted that “HIV/AIDS forced us to start talking about what people are doing in bed.”
The ‘Back Door’ Is Having Its Pop Culture Moment|Gabriella Paiella|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The beheading of journalist Steven Sotloff is the latest, savage step on that climb.
Watching ISIS Come to Power Again|Elliot Ackerman|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of them was half naked and savage, with the light of madness in his eyes.
The Fifth-Dimension Tube|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
We seek for the origin of the savage factor of myth in one aspect of the intellectual condition of savages.
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1|Andrew Lang
In this manner did he indulge in the wild and uncouth glee of a savage as ferocious as he was powerful.
The Dead Boxer|William Carleton
They were willing to accept a religion which did 219 not interfere with savage customs, which had become a part of their lives.
How Marcus Whitman Saved Oregon|Oliver W. Nixon
The frontier was closely guarded against the savage tribes who seemed to be occupying the waste lands of northern Europe.
The Story of Mankind|Hendrik Van Loon

British Dictionary definitions for savage (1 of 2)

savage

/ (ˈsævɪdʒ) /

adjective

wild; untamedsavage beasts of the jungle

ferocious in temper; viciousa savage dog

uncivilized; crudesavage behaviour

(of peoples) nonliterate or primitivea 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 (tr)

to criticize violently

to attack ferociously and woundthe dog savaged the child

Derived Formssavagedom, nounsavagely, adverbsavageness, noun

Word Origin for savage

C13: from Old French sauvage, from Latin silvāticus belonging to a wood, from silva a wood

British Dictionary definitions for savage (2 of 2)

Savage

/ (ˈsævɪdʒ) /

noun

Michael Joseph. 1872-1940, New Zealand statesman; prime minister of New Zealand (1935-40)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for savage (1 of 3)

savage

adj.

mid-13c., "fierce, ferocious;" c.1300, "wild, undomesticated, untamed" (of animals and places), from Old French sauvage, salvage "wild, savage, untamed, strange, pagan," from Late Latin salvaticus, alteration of silvaticus "wild," literally "of the woods," from silva "forest, grove" (see sylvan). Of persons, the meaning "reckless, ungovernable" is attested from c.1400, earlier in sense "indomitable, valiant" (c.1300).

Word Origin and History for savage (1 of 3)

savage

"wild person," c.1400, from savage (adj.).

Word Origin and History for savage (2 of 3)

savage

"to tear with the teeth, maul," 1880, from savage (adj.). Earlier "to act the savage" (1560s). Related: Savaged; savaging.

savage

adjective

noun

verb (used with object), sav·aged, sav·ag·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of savage

Synonym study

Definition for savage (2 of 2)

Savage

noun

Examples from the Web for savage

British Dictionary definitions for savage (1 of 2)

savage

adjective

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for savage

British Dictionary definitions for savage (2 of 2)

Savage

noun

Word Origin and History for savage (1 of 3)

savage

Word Origin and History for savage (1 of 3)

savage

Word Origin and History for savage (2 of 3)

savage