as in barbarian
not civilized
unfairly branded as uncivilized by European explorers, they had created a culture that was actually quite advanced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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 uncivilized
Sure, the song (apparently written about writer Quentin Crisp) is just about the alienating sense of being an outsider, of having people judge you for your accent or aspiring to civility in an uncivilized land.
—
Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2022
Whereas Saidian Orientalism understood the Eastern Other as fundamentally backward and uncivilized, however, techno-Orientalism presents an upgraded vision of the Asian as threateningly futuristic and advanced.
—Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2022
The Qing emperors themselves were not Han either, but Manchu, a people from the other side of the Great Wall who had traditionally been regarded as uncivilized nomads.
—Ian Buruma, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Jan. 2022
There is only one religion in uncivilized society, and that is Kendall Roy.
—Natalie Lin, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2021
See all Example Sentences for uncivilized 
Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2022
Whereas Saidian Orientalism understood the Eastern Other as fundamentally backward and uncivilized, however, techno-Orientalism presents an upgraded vision of the Asian as threateningly futuristic and advanced.
—Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2022
The Qing emperors themselves were not Han either, but Manchu, a people from the other side of the Great Wall who had traditionally been regarded as uncivilized nomads.
—Ian Buruma, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Jan. 2022
There is only one religion in uncivilized society, and that is Kendall Roy.
—Natalie Lin, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2021
See all Example Sentences for uncivilized
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncivilized
Adjective
-
Yet the real struggle between red and blue bears little resemblance to the flamboyant melodrama narrated by partisans, in which each side fights to defend humanity against a barbarian horde.Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 19 Aug. 2024
-
Column of Marcus Aurelius was erected in AD 180 to commemorate his victories over the barbarian tribes of the Danube.Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 20 June 2024
Adjective
-
Was the waiter being rude or was the customer overreacting?Soo Kim, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
-
Dropping in on someone with no warning is inconsiderate, bordering on rude.Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
The peninsula is wild and rugged, and there are not too many roads.Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Nov. 2024
-
The way those factions intersect with the media, darker corners of the internet and Generic American Capitalism is meant to be represented by series’ title, but nothing here is really wild enough to live up to it.Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.Joseph J. Kolb, Fox News, 18 July 2017
-
Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.OregonLive.com, OregonLive.com, 12 July 2017
Adjective
-
Experts told PolitiFact such narratives painting Haiti as a barbarous country are not new and are racist attempts to dehumanize Haitians.Jeff Cercone, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Sep. 2024
-
Treating barbarous body horror as something embedded in us deeper than the mutual love of a partner, especially when it’s done without the theatrical or exploitation trappings, makes for one of the New French Extremity’s most troubling works.Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
Sudanese who took the same route with other smugglers say they were subjected to barbaric conditions on the journey.Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Oct. 2024
-
The two-and-a-half-hour film follows two Black teenagers who become wards of a barbaric juvenile reformatory in Jim Crow-era Florida.Anna Tingley, Variety, 28 Sep. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near uncivilized
Cite this Entry
“Uncivilized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncivilized. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share