savage

SAV-ij/ˈsævɪd͡ʒ/

Noun pluralsavages

17 meanings of savage

1
adjective
Very cruel and violent, showing no kindness at all.
Like a wild animal that attacks and will not stop.
The boxer launched a savage attack in the final round.
The movie shows the savage side of war.
Similarbrutal, vicious, merciless, ruthless, cruel
Oppositemerciful, humane, lenient
2
adjective
Very wild and angry, ready to attack at any moment.
The savage dog barked and pulled at its chain.
A savage storm hit the coast last night.
Similarfierce, ferocious, violent, vicious, furious
Oppositegentle, mild, tame
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3
adjectiveslang
Bold and rude in a funny way that shocks people.
Her comeback was so savage that even the teacher laughed.
She's savage online. Nobody is safe from her jokes.
Similarbrutal, scathing, cutting, withering, biting
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4
adjective
Wild and natural, not grown, trained, or controlled by people.
The cat was born savage and never trusted humans.
They hiked across savage land full of rocks and thorny plants.
Similarwild, untamed, feral, undomesticated
Oppositetame, domesticated, cultivated
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5
adjective
Wild and rough, without the rules and order of modern society.
In the story, the children slowly turn savage on the island.
People once called the punishment savage and fought to end it.
Similarbarbaric, uncivilized, barbarous, lawless, primitive
Oppositecivilized
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6
verbtransitive
To attack a person or animal in a wild, violent way.
The big dog tried to savage the smaller one at the park.
A bear savaged a hiker on the mountain trail last summer.
Similarattack, maul, assault
7
verbfigurativelytransitive
To attack a person or their work with very harsh words.
Reviewers will savage any movie with an ending this lazy.
Fans savaged the singer online after the show was canceled.
Similarpan, slam, lambaste, criticize, excoriate
Oppositepraise, acclaim, laud
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8
adjectiveslangIrelandUS
Really good or impressive in an exciting way.
Dude, that skate trick was totally savage!
Your new sneakers are savage. Where did you get them?
Similaramazing, brilliant, awesome, incredible, epic
Oppositeawful, terrible
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9
adjective
Very simple and basic, without modern skill or detail.
Their tools were savage, just sharp stones tied to sticks.
The camp was savage, with no running water or lights.
Similarprimitive, crude, rudimentary, rough
Oppositesophisticated, refined, advanced
10
nounfigurativelycountable
A person who fights back hard and never gives up or backs down.
Like a boxer who gets up every time he is knocked down.
Even with three players guarding her, she kept driving to the basket like a savage.
My grandpa is a savage. He argued with the doctor until they let him go home.
Similarwarrior, beast
Oppositepushover, doormat

11
nounderogatoryhistoricalcountable
An unkind old word for a person seen as wild or uncivilized.
In the old book, the sailors called the islanders savages because their way of life was new to them.
The glimpse of the steamboat had for some reason filled those savages with unrestrained grief.
1899, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”Here, savages means people seen as primitive or uncivilized, now an offensive word.
Similarbarbarian
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12
nounslangcountable
Someone who says bold, funny things without worrying what people think.
Like the friend who says the joke everyone is thinking but no one dares to say out loud.
Did you hear what Maya said to the teacher? She's a savage!
Grandma is a savage. She told the waiter exactly what she thought of his cooking.
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13
verbtransitive
To attack a person or animal by biting them again and again.
A loose dog can savage sheep if no one watches the field.
The fox savaged two chickens before the farmer chased it away.
Similarmaul, bite, attack, worry
14
adjectiveslangUS
Very harsh, rude, or mean, holding nothing back.
That review was savage: the writer didn't like anything about the movie.
Her savage reply made the whole room go quiet.
Similarscathing, harsh, brutal, withering, blistering
Oppositemild, gentle, glowing
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15
adjectiveslangUK
Very unpleasant or not fair at all.
They canceled the school trip an hour before we left. That's savage.
It's savage that Liam got detention when he didn't even do anything.
Similarharsh, brutal, unfair, rough, cruel
Oppositefair, lenient
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16
nounobsolete
A wild and fierce animal, such as a wolf or bear.
In the old story, the knight fought a savage with claws as long as knives.
The torch-eyed ſavage, with growl tremendous, riſing up, diſlocated at one blow the arched neck of Sadit's Arabian ſteed, and brought the unfortunate omrah to the duſt, expiring between his extended claws.
1769, Firishta, Tales translated from the Persian of Inatulla of DelhiHere, savage means a wild, fierce animal.
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17
verbobsoletetransitive
To make a person or animal wild and fierce.
Its bloodhounds, savaged by a cross of wolf.
1692, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several OccasionsHere, savaged means made fierce and wild.
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Practice

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Origin

From Latin silvaticus meaning 'wild' (literally 'of the woods'), from silva meaning 'forest'. It came into English through Old French.