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savage

savage

27 4.5
Very fierce and violent and often cruel
  • adjective
  • /ˈsævɪdʒ/
  • NSFW
translation icon : salvaje
  • With savage bloodlust, the beast left its lair and set upon the village.
  • ruthless and savage
  • savage predator
  • wild and savage

We see them as very brutal, savage warrior people.

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Examples

  • It's just an unparalleled display of the savage power of nature.

  • Human beings, unlike most species, are frequently tormented by the savage gods of depression and despair.

    Academic text (1992)
  • We want them to be savage with the enemies, but not with their own people.

  • Only the water was a savage ocean beating at the trees.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • We see them as very brutal, savage warrior people.

  • French soldiers carried out savage reprisals.

  • What they did was an appalling, savage thing.

  • At times, the savage war against al-Qaeda pitted members of the same tribe against each other.

    Academic text (2010)
  • I knew I had only a few months; the savage horde below our mountaintop was growing and stirring.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The lion's savage roar echoed through the jungle, instilling fear in all who heard it.

Synonyms

violent
vssavage
  • Offensive
2.5

Using strong force that causes harm

includes cruelty and wildness, not only forceful action
cruel
vssavage
522 2.7

Willing to cause pain or suffering to others

is wilder and more uncontrolled, not just lacking compassion
furious
vssavage
238 3.0

Very angry and ready to shout or complain

is often violent and uncontrolled rather than only angry
brutal
vssavage
  • NSFW
229 4.8

Very cruel and violent, causing pain or suffering

adds a wild uncontrolled quality beyond mere harshness
vicious
vssavage
222 5.2

Deliberately cruel and likely to hurt someone

is wilder and more uncontrolled, not solely intentional harm
fierce
vssavage
220 3.0

Showing great power, anger or passion

is specifically more violent and wild rather than just intense
ferocious
vssavage
64 5.5

Very strong and violent in a way that hurts or scares

is similar but also stresses wild uncontrolled nature
feral
vssavage
29 6.7

An animal that lives wild after escaping people and is often dangerous

is more about violent cruelty than only animal wildness
barbarous
vssavage
3 8.5

Being very cruel and causing great pain

is wilder and less controlled, not only about planned cruelty
beastly
vssavage
3 6.5

Cruel and showing no care for other people like an animal

is more violent and uncontrolled than merely coarse or rough
roughshod
vssavage
1 8.9

Acting in a harsh way that ignores other people's feelings

is wilder and less controlled than merely domineering cruelty
bloody-minded
vssavage
  • Offensive
1 9.2

Ready to use violence to hurt people

is wilder in being uncontrolled, not only eager violence
ferine
vssavage
  • Archaic
9.9

Being wild and dangerous in a frightening way

is more about cruelty and violent intent than simple wildness
rampageous
vssavage
  • NSFW
9.9

Very violent and likely to destroy things

is about cruelty and ferocity rather than only chaotic destruction
butcherly
vssavage
  • NSFW
9.9

Very cruel and violent, causing many deaths

includes wildness and lack of control beyond bloody acts
fell
vssavage
  • Archaic
9.9

Cruel and likely to cause great harm

adds a wild untamed edge rather than only cold intent
as fierce as a mad dog
vssavage
  • Informal
9.1

Very angry and ready to attack

is broader, covering wild cruelty beyond a single threatening image

Antonyms

235 1.0

Kind and not strong in action, sound, or touch

11 1.0

Not wild because people keep or breed it

Compounds

Harsh, honest jokes that hurt or shock people

How Fierce

ferocious
64 5.5
brutal
  • NSFW
229 4.8
savage
  • NSFW
27 4.5
fierce
220 3.0
wild
2 2.8

Surface Forms

savage positive
savagery comparative
savagest superlative

Etymology

Savage comes from Old French sauvage and the Latin silva, which means 'wood' or 'forest', so it originally meant 'of the woods' or wild. That's why savage now describes something fierce, violent, or uncontrolled.