as in barbarian
not civilized
unfairly branded as uncivilized by European explorers, they had created a culture that was actually quite advanced
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Recent Examples of uncivilized
There is no doubt uncivilized — and sometimes violent — acts have taken place in school bathrooms.
—
Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2022
Roxane Gay: For all our cultural obsession with civility, there is nothing more uncivilized than the political establishment’s acceptance of the constancy of mass shootings.
—New York Times, 26 May 2022
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
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
See All Example Sentences for uncivilized
Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2022
Roxane Gay: For all our cultural obsession with civility, there is nothing more uncivilized than the political establishment’s acceptance of the constancy of mass shootings.
—New York Times, 26 May 2022
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
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
See All Example Sentences for uncivilized
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncivilized
Adjective
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Ashley Johnson and star/executive producer Travis Willingham tee up what's coming for their soft barbarian lady.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
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As a benevolent barbarian warrior in the mythical land of Hyrkania, Sonja is enslaved and imprisoned by the ecocidal emperor known as Draygan (Robert Sheehan).—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Politically incorrect and in-your-face, with plenty of dark humor accentuating the drama, the show resembles the more cutting-edge TV — think Borgen or Rita — made by Sweden’s ruder neighbor Denmark.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
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Etiquette neither knows nor cares who is generous and who is stingy, and indecisive and rude are not opposites.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The loss of books is minor, almost trivial, in light of all the horrors and violence unleashed by this senseless war, but the potential loss of these books is a sad reminder that we’re all affected and implicated in America’s savage flailings.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
17 Mar. 2026
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Conan O'Brien hit almost every note on Sunday — savage, playful, heartfelt and dumb.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Activities showcase Cempedak’s wild landscapes and seascapes, offering complimentary forest birdwatching and night walk safaris, yoga sessions, and watersports equipment, including SUP, kayaking, snorkelling, and windsurfing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
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New Jersey is 10 points behind Columbus for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with nine games remaining.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For example, synthetic blastoids develop a blastocoel cavity and the three main cell types (epiblast, trophectoderm, and primitive endoderm) within one week, just like natural blastocysts.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
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There are nine primitive, tent-only sites without electric access.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Lies told by people who are simply too afraid to look at such an ugly, barbarous reality.—
Clare Malone,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
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In the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, a man dressed as a cop shot two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, killing the DFL speaker of the House and her husband in a barbarous (and politically motivated) atrocity.—
Jeffrey Blehar,
National Review,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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During the Middle Ages, for example, many contemporary accounts from both Christian and Muslim societies depicted their opposing side as barbaric, blasphemous, and inferior.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
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Reports say Mohammadi was killed in a public hanging seen as a barbaric move by the Iranian regime to snuff out the ongoing movement seeking to topple it, according to Iranian American human rights activists and dissidents.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Uncivilized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncivilized. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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