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
Some of the worst savagery took place in the Philippines, after the United States acquired it in 1898.
—
Jonathan Zimmerman, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
The government may not have hired Bobbi or urged Ghirotti to seek his petty revenge, but the men’s savagery is inseparable from that of a state sustained by atrocity.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
His portrayal is different than Jacob Elordi’s in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, emphasizing the character’s savagery while focusing on an intriguing new wrinkle courtesy of Gyllenhaal’s script.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
His shrieking reactions to his wife’s savagery throw into relief his good nature and her perversity.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for savagery
Jonathan Zimmerman, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
The government may not have hired Bobbi or urged Ghirotti to seek his petty revenge, but the men’s savagery is inseparable from that of a state sustained by atrocity.
—Michael Snyder, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
His portrayal is different than Jacob Elordi’s in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, emphasizing the character’s savagery while focusing on an intriguing new wrinkle courtesy of Gyllenhaal’s script.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
His shrieking reactions to his wife’s savagery throw into relief his good nature and her perversity.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for savagery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savagery
Noun
-
Initially, the couple was arrested on charges of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree unlawful restraint, intentional cruelty to persons, risk of injury to a minor and conspiracy to commit risk of injury to a minor.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
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There was a particular cruelty in having lived with her hearing for 28 years before losing it.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Based on Otessa Moshfegh’s novel about women driven to extremes by life in a small town, Thomasin McKenzie stars as the titular gruff clerk at a boys prison, physically and mentally stuck in a reality inextricable from male brutality.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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Here, Creasy’s brutality is framed as a positive.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Savagery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savagery. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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