as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
a study of the savagery shown by soldiers in wartime
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Recent Examples of savagery
After the war, in sober reflection, the United States helped lead a global effort to try to tame the savagery of conflict and, in particular, to shield civilians.
—
Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
Lewis makes Allegra a horny scamp, and Olyphant’s Pete, the group ringleader, has a svelte savagery.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Some of the worst savagery took place in the Philippines, after the United States acquired it in 1898.
—Jonathan Zimmerman, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
His portrayal is different than Jacob Elordi’s in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, emphasizing the character’s savagery while focusing on an intriguing new wrinkle courtesy of Gyllenhaal’s script.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for savagery
Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
Lewis makes Allegra a horny scamp, and Olyphant’s Pete, the group ringleader, has a svelte savagery.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Some of the worst savagery took place in the Philippines, after the United States acquired it in 1898.
—Jonathan Zimmerman, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
His portrayal is different than Jacob Elordi’s in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, emphasizing the character’s savagery while focusing on an intriguing new wrinkle courtesy of Gyllenhaal’s script.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for savagery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savagery
Noun
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To make the musical masterpiece of his dreams, Lestat will have to break on through his shell of witty cruelty and hope an authentic soul remains intact beneath it.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
2 June 2026
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She was arrested at a hotel near the barn and booked at the Clark County Juvenile Hall on 12 counts of animal cruelty, including intentionally aiming or torturing a horse, as well as three counts of malicious destruction of property.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Lyrics by Ahrens and dialogue by McNally about the discrimination and brutality that Black Americans and immigrants face can seem straight out of the current moment.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
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Where the movie’s true eccentricity comes in is in its combination of breezy comedy with shocking brutality and gore, perhaps most exemplified in an oddly casual moment in a morgue where Seagal and Wayans find a clue in the form of a serial number on a dead woman’s breast implant.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Savagery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savagery. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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