savages 1 of 2

noun

plural of savage
1
as in brutes
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person what kind of savage would hurt a baby?

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2
as in barbarians
an uncivilized person inhabitants of exotic lands were invariably portrayed by early travel writers as savages

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savages

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of savage
as in attacks
to criticize harshly and usually publicly book reviewers mercilessly savaged his latest novel

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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 savages
Noun
And potentially discover treasure that will keep the savages at home from tearing the place down. — Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 Or a group of shipwrecked boys turning into savages and killing one another? — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026 The Indians in Westerns had war paint and whooped like savages. — Literary Hub, 28 May 2026 Smoothbrain libs and savages can KMA. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026 This notion was based on outdated presumptions of hillforts as being occupied by violent, prehistoric savages. — News Desk, Artforum, 10 Apr. 2026 Or Irish, in a time when they were seen as savages by the Englishmen? — Arushi Jacob, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savages
  1. brutes
  2. barbarians
  3. attacks
  4. villains
  5. scolds
  6. monsters
  7. abuses
  8. criminals
Noun
  • These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.
    — Keith Sutton, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2026
  • In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-​skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-​skinned developing world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of brutes
Noun
  • The world drew heavily from the paintings of fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta, who depicted scenes of barbarians and beasts in conflict, of pulp fiction heroes, femme fatales, and fierce warrior women.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 29 June 2026
  • To an outsider, the scene may spark a certain Schadenfreude, like an army of tiny barbarians sacking Rome.
    — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of barbarians
Verb
  • The hydrogen peroxide treatment then attacks the remaining dye-cotton linkages and removes residual color.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The stories of two high schoolers, Jules and Quinn, entwine on May 1, the day a serial killer attacks one of them.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacks
Noun
  • At the time of the arrest, many royal observers speculated about Harry and Meghan’s reaction, especially since they had often been portrayed as the family villains.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 25 Aug. 2026
  • As baseball's new villains, the Dodgers' fate in October will be the most talked about storyline.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of villains
Verb
  • Some intergenerational sparring ensues, as Kevin scolds Arthur for his more outré boomer comments, and Arthur in turn sneers at his grandson’s millennial lameness.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The audience screams in response, and Scovel scolds them again but this time with a smile.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of scolds
Noun
  • There will be no B-movie monsters wearing terrible prosthetics, no scripts full of non sequiturs, no glitchy graphics.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The monsters of the original — the Cyclops and the sirens — are replaced by drones that buzz across the stage and models of robotic war machines.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of monsters
Verb
  • Detectives will continue investigating these cases aggressively, and anyone who abuses their position with a child will be held accountable.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • New York City’s child welfare agency routinely abuses its emergency power to take children from their parents without a court order, creating lifelong consequences for families, a new class-action lawsuit seeking to end the practice alleged Thursday.
    — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 28 May 2026
Definition of abuses
Noun
  • Throughout the bar are blurbs of information on cases and criminals, researched by Rose and the team.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026
  • When criminals are behind bars, their victims should finally be safe from them.
    — Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of criminals

Browse Nearby Words

savagery
savages
savaging
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Cite this Entry

“Savages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savages. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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