savage
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
How often you will meet it
Rank 1,759 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 10,322 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.005% of every word in the library.
What it means
adjective
- (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering also: barbarous, brutal, cruel, fell, roughshod, vicious a barbarous crimebrutal beatings
- wild and menacing also: feral, ferine a pack of feral dogs
- without civilizing influences also: barbarian, barbaric, uncivilized, uncivilised, wild barbarian invadersbarbaric practices
- marked by extreme and violent energy also: ferocious, fierce, furious a ferocious beatingfierce fighting
noun
- a member of an uncivilized people also: barbarian
- a cruelly rapacious person also: beast, wolf, brute, wildcat
verb
- attack brutally and fiercely
- criticize harshly or violently also: blast, pillory, crucify The press savaged the new PresidentThe critics crucified the author for plagiarizing a famous passage
savage in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
-
But he flung that aside with a savage half-thought.
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1
-
Of course if you treat a horse like a savage he will become savage.
With Lee in Virginia · G. A. (George Alfred) Henty · Chapter 1
-
Thus he departed from the island, leaving these pirates to enjoy their savage royalty.
The pirates own book · Charles Ellms · Chapter 1
-
No church-bell lent its Christian tone To the savage air, no social smoke Curled over woods of snow-hung oak.
Snow-bound · John Greenleaf Whittier · Chapter 1
-
Matter-of-fact people read the story of Orpheus, and imagine that his "charming rocks" and "soothing savage beasts," is a mere fabulous invention.
Sketches by Seymour — Volume 04 · Robert Seymour · Chapter 1