1. (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
   "a savage slap";
   - barbarous, brutal, cruel, fell, roughshod, vicious
    
2. Wild and menacing
   "a pack of savage dogs";
   - feral, ferine
    
3. Marked by extreme and violent energy
   "a savage beating";
   - ferocious, fierce, furious
    
4. Without civilizing influences
   "a savage people";
   - barbarian, barbaric, uncivilized, uncivilised [Brit], wild
    
5. [N. Amer, informal] Brutally honest, harsh, or cutting in a way that is impressive or amusing
   "Her savage comeback left everyone speechless"
    
6. [N. Amer, informal] Extremely impressive or skilful, often in a bold or intense way
   "That was a savage performance on the basketball court"

1. Attack brutally and fiercely
   "The wild animal savaged its prey"
    
2. Criticize harshly or violently
   "The press savaged the new President";
   - blast [informal], pillory, crucify

1. A cruelly rapacious person
   "The dictator was a savage, showing no mercy to his opponents";
   - beast, wolf, brute, wildcat [informal]
    
2. A member of an uncivilized people
   "The explorers' accounts described the natives as savages, reflecting their own cultural biases";
   - barbarian

Derived forms: savaging, savages, savaged

See also: inhumane, noncivilised [Brit], noncivilized, untamed, violent, wild

Type of: aggressor, assail, assailant, assailer, assault, assaulter, attack, attacker, criticise [Brit], criticize, damn [informal], knock [informal], pick apart, primitive, primitive person, set on

Encyclopedia: Savage, Martin