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
Sacbee.com, 12 May 2025
Archaeologists recently unearthed a bone projectile point someone dropped on a cave floor between 70,000 and 80,000 years ago—which, based on its location, means that said someone must have been a Neanderthal.
—ArsTechnica, 1 May 2025
This group of Neanderthals probably numbered around 40 to 200 and had been genetically isolated from other Neanderthals for nearly 50,000 years.
—Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025
Several studies suggest that Neanderthal faces evolved to suit the colder climates of Northern Europe.
—Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Neanderthal
Noun
His lab’s studies have shed light on how humans migrated and adapted to new environments and how traits linked to Neanderthal DNA are gradually being eliminated from the modern human genome.
—Sacbee.com, 12 May 2025
Archaeologists recently unearthed a bone projectile point someone dropped on a cave floor between 70,000 and 80,000 years ago—which, based on its location, means that said someone must have been a Neanderthal.
—ArsTechnica, 1 May 2025
This group of Neanderthals probably numbered around 40 to 200 and had been genetically isolated from other Neanderthals for nearly 50,000 years.
—Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025
Several studies suggest that Neanderthal faces evolved to suit the colder climates of Northern Europe.
—Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Neanderthal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Neanderthal
Noun
-
Like the ghostly hulk of the Titanic below the surface of the sea, Northbrook Court is a quiet and cavernous relic — at the bottom of the retail food chain.—
David Petitti,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The first night, the characters are menaced by a bald hulk in overalls, wearing a clown mask with the mouth area (including his teeth) smashed in.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The colonized lands are conceptualized of as virgin or empty, or populated by savages and barbarians who amount to less-than-human types who must make way for the settlers.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
21 May 2025
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The barbarians are all those who hate human nature, all those who trample upon the sense of the sacred, all those who do not value life, all those who rebel against God the Creator of man and nature.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Carry-on rules exist for a reason and deliberately ignoring the rules is both rude and inconsiderate to everyone else who is.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
-
Matthews walked out of the home to talk to the suspect but returned to the house, saying Hoskins-Ellis said something rude to him.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
Coastal friends, start with fresh jumbo lump crabmeat.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
26 May 2025
-
Key Takeaways Warts form a hard lump, while skin tags are soft and often on a stalk.—
Lana Barhum,
Verywell Health,
16 May 2025
Noun
-
The exact mechanism behind this response remains unclear, but the study shows, for the first time, that the phenomenon of contagious yawning also applies to animals and non-living robots.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
5 June 2025
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Experts recommend starting with some scent swapping—using blankets or toys to familiarize the existing pet and the incoming animal with each other's smell—before allowing visual contact.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
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
Noun
-
But the Phillies are skidding, losers of four in a row.—
Anthony Stitt,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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The winning team heads to the semifinals, while the loser will head to a last-chance game against the winner of Friday's game between Florida and Tennessee to determine which advances to the semifinals.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 2025
Noun
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The writer-director finds a playful entry point by starting not in Manhattan but in a majestic rocky landscape where the only signs of life are a hot caveman returning from foraging and placing a makeshift ring on the finger of the woman waiting for him.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2025
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An investment in Carrier’s business, according to Welborn’s sales material, which also featured the HomeVestors caveman mascot, Ug, was both lucrative and secure.—
Anjeanette Damon,
ProPublica,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Neanderthal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Neanderthal. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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