as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
a study of the savagery shown by soldiers in wartime
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Recent Examples of savagery
Its savagery was all the more disturbing knowing what a compassionate, effective man Rob Reiner was in life and work.
—
Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
Then came the October 7, 2023, savagery by Hamas that took the lives of more than 1,200 innocent Jews—40 years after the attack on America’s troops in Beirut.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
With the facial articulation of a silent film star crossed with the savagery of a post-Saw killer, Art went from underground curiosity to horror icon within a decade.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
This, too, is where savagery lurks—in tedious, monotonous tasks.
—Seema Jilani
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for savagery
Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
Then came the October 7, 2023, savagery by Hamas that took the lives of more than 1,200 innocent Jews—40 years after the attack on America’s troops in Beirut.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
With the facial articulation of a silent film star crossed with the savagery of a post-Saw killer, Art went from underground curiosity to horror icon within a decade.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
This, too, is where savagery lurks—in tedious, monotonous tasks.
—Seema Jilani
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for savagery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savagery
Noun
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One has simply grown so accustomed to his cruelty that, in an episode with so many other people acting on their worst impulses, Stephen stands out for momentarily acting on a good one.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2026
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Gray faces 29 charges, including two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and multiple counts of second-degree cruelty to children.—
La'Tasha Givens,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The sly blend of beauty and brutality is also apparent in the film’s sound design.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
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The protagonist, Frannie’s, story begins in a plantation in Jamaica, the brutality of which is chillingly evoked, but by moving much of the novel’s action to London, Sara Collins helps show just how tightly interwoven Black Caribbean history is with the history of the UK.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Savagery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savagery. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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