1
as in hulk
a big clumsy often slow-witted person
they looked like a tribe of Neanderthals compared to the bridegroom's patrician-looking family
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarian
a man with crude manners and habits and outmoded attitudes
made the mistake of dining with some Neanderthal who repeatedly mistook his shirtsleeve for a napkin
Synonyms & Similar Words
variants
or Neandertal
as in rude
not civilized
her boyfriend's Neanderthal tastes and manners were often embarrassing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of Neanderthal
Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
Published: Feb 3, 2025 Claire Cameron (Photo: Claire Cameron)
Claire Cameron’s novels include The Last Neanderthal and The Bear.
—Claire Cameron, Outside Online, 3 Feb. 2025
Blood Type and Health The lack of variety in blood type within Neanderthals may have led them to their demise.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025
By extracting and sequencing Neanderthal DNA, scientists unlocked unprecedented insights into their biology and behavior.
—Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Neanderthal
Noun
More of Florida’s contemporary GOP lawmakers seem prone to cheer on Neanderthal talking points than challenge them.
—Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
Published: Feb 3, 2025 Claire Cameron (Photo: Claire Cameron)
Claire Cameron’s novels include The Last Neanderthal and The Bear.
—Claire Cameron, Outside Online, 3 Feb. 2025
Blood Type and Health The lack of variety in blood type within Neanderthals may have led them to their demise.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025
By extracting and sequencing Neanderthal DNA, scientists unlocked unprecedented insights into their biology and behavior.
—Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Neanderthal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Neanderthal
Noun
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The hulk of metal moved silently through space, high above the blue Earth.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
13 Feb. 2025
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Having boy hulk Matthew Knies at the net front, to retrieve pucks and be a pain for the defence, is one positive step that’s been working.—
James Mirtle,
The Athletic,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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For the general The First Berserker: Khazan follows Khazan — a former barbarian who rose far enough to become a great general in the Pell Los Empire, earning the recognition of the nation’s emperor.—
Scott McRae,
Rolling Stone,
24 Mar. 2025
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In a fable by Phaedrus, also written in the first century A.D., a barbarian is threatening the troops of the military leader, Pompey the Great.—
Tom Sapsford,
The Conversation,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The incident sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some criticizing Wallen’s actions on the show as rude.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
30 Mar. 2025
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This, experts say, is a punctuation choice that can make messages appear uncertain or vague, which confuses recipients and sometimes comes off as passive aggressive and rude.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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If filling has any lumps, strain through a fine mesh strainer.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Southern Living,
28 Mar. 2025
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While less consequential for than last year’s clothing controversy involving the apparel brands Nike and Fanatics—which affected jerseys worn by players—New Era’s apparent misstep is another example of MLB’s brand taking lumps because of design decisions made outside of its purview.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Trump has not previously been counted among the zoo’s critics, who tend to lament the life of captivity suffered by its animals, not their potential indoctrination.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
6 Apr. 2025
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From more types of materials players could use to build and decorate to more animals that inhabited the world to more biomes for players to explore.—
Issy van der Velde,
Rolling Stone,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
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As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
Noun
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Zuckerberg topped the list of the biggest losers by dollars, down $17.9 billion as Meta shares took a hit in the sell-off.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
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Big losers in the tech sector seeing declines were Amazon (-6.8%), Apple (-8.2%), Meta (-7.4%), Alphabet (-3.6%) and Nvidia (-5.7%).—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Pitino’s team survived all season in caveman fashion — hostile defense, bruising physicality and rip-it-off-the-rim offensive rebounding.—
Brendan Quinn,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
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Even cavemen, in ancient, simpler times, could not merely sit around in cave admiring/praising one another, but had to hunt, fight, compete with members of own group for status.—
George Saunders,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Neanderthal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Neanderthal. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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