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
Relevance
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Neanderthal
Noun
-
Remember the scene in Marvel's The Avengers, when Bruce Banner transformed into the hulk and punched a Chitauri Leviathan in the face, bringing it to a sudden halt?—
Chris McMullen,
Space.com,
28 Nov. 2025 -
Jerome Grand Hotel For 44 years, the empty hulk of the United Verde Hospital loomed above the town like Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
And if any of you barbarians out there slather ranch dressing on your wings, there’s a special place in hell just for you.—
Bill Reinhard,
New York Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Per this year’s edition of AIR MAIL’s annual Over-Under List, caviar bumps—where barbarians (TikTokers) lick precious fish eggs off the back of their hands like table salt before a gag-inducing tequila shot—are out!—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
20 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
To do so would be rude, politically perilous, insulting to our biggest trade partner and just plain weird.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The interactions would last 30 seconds, maybe, and no one was rude.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The cash option is a one-time, lump-sum payment that is equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.—
Tanya Wildt,
Freep.com,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Caglianone took his lumps — most noticeably charted by his chase rate outside the strike zone — in short order.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Wild animals had gnawed through the pressurized canisters, releasing the chemicals inside.—
Rachel Becker,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Wash and brush the animals in your house to lessen the amount of allergens in the air.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
On his second, Dominique pulled off a savage windmill, the same dunk that had earned a perfect score the year before and won him the title.—
Kevin Sherrington
Feb. 10,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Meantime, outflows both from both software and crypto (an asset class most correlated with unprofitable tech stocks) grew excessive until the savage software/bitcoin selloff hit an extreme Thursday, when money came sloshing in to catch the falling knives.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Some software companies have emerged as potential AI losers, while hardware companies (think semiconductor chipmakers) continue to be AI winners.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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The 19th through 32nd picks in each round were decided by playoff results — teams eliminated in the wild-card round were placed into slots 19-24, divisional-round losers into picks 25-28, and so on.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This old-style Bavarian beer hall can accommodate all fans of Germanic cuisine with jäger schnitzel, wild-boar sausages and a baked pork shank that looks like something a caveman would thomp a dinosaur with.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
19 Jan. 2026
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But given our caveman approach, that possibility is now gone.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Neanderthal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Neanderthal. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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