as in attacked
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
book reviewers mercilessly savaged his latest novel
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Recent Examples of savaged
One is a recent hit movie, the other a popular but savaged documentary, setting a Rotten Tomatoes record for Netflix.
—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
When Biden considered appointing Susan Davies, a former deputy White House counsel under President Obama, to the Justice Department’s top antitrust post, a slew of articles savaged her as a corporate shill.
—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
26 May 2026
Though the film included input – and an onscreen role – from the legendary Gene Kelly, it was savaged by critics.
—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Chronic disease programs, in particular, have been savaged, whether those programs have been focused on oral health or tobacco control, to name a few.
—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
30 Mar. 2026
We’ve been dealt a nigh-unbearable hand when two of our communities were utterly savaged by fire.
—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
The crime comedy Gigli (2003) earned little more than 10 percent of its $54 million production costs and was savaged by critics.
—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 Mar. 2026
The committee’s Democratic members savaged Rubio for diminishing America’s global role; the meeting grew so rancorous that Senator Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho who was Rubio’s closest friend in the Senate, had to repeatedly bang his gavel to bring order.
—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
The Blue Bag program went ahead despite being savaged by critics for years throughout its planning stages, and was not considered a success when it was scrapped more than a dozen years later for the city's current blue cart program.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
When Biden considered appointing Susan Davies, a former deputy White House counsel under President Obama, to the Justice Department’s top antitrust post, a slew of articles savaged her as a corporate shill.
—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
26 May 2026
Though the film included input – and an onscreen role – from the legendary Gene Kelly, it was savaged by critics.
—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Chronic disease programs, in particular, have been savaged, whether those programs have been focused on oral health or tobacco control, to name a few.
—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
30 Mar. 2026
We’ve been dealt a nigh-unbearable hand when two of our communities were utterly savaged by fire.
—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
The crime comedy Gigli (2003) earned little more than 10 percent of its $54 million production costs and was savaged by critics.
—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
13 Mar. 2026
The committee’s Democratic members savaged Rubio for diminishing America’s global role; the meeting grew so rancorous that Senator Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho who was Rubio’s closest friend in the Senate, had to repeatedly bang his gavel to bring order.
—
Dexter Filkins,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
The Blue Bag program went ahead despite being savaged by critics for years throughout its planning stages, and was not considered a success when it was scrapped more than a dozen years later for the city's current blue cart program.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savaged
Verb
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Police said former professional soccer player Badea and another man attacked Zeraati before fleeing in a getaway car driven by Stana and then flying out of the country from Heathrow Airport.
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The three men who attacked our CBS News Chicago crew near Adler Planetarium before pointing a gun at people in Brighton Park on Monday afternoon have been charged.
Verb
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In a scathing Instagram post this morning, LuPone, who has long been devoted to her equally enamored gay fandom, slammed Turkey’s latest homophobic move.
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Investigators said the Tesla slammed through a brick home at a high rate of speed, fatally striking Avila.
Verb
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Davis remembered once being scolded as a teenager by her mother after being caught speaking poorly of a classmate.
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Well versed in what the lunar surface truly offers, Britt scolded a number of arty accounts of lunar territory promulgated by both NASA and commercial space ventures.
Cite this Entry
“Savaged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savaged. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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