I. sav ‧ age 1 /ˈsævɪdʒ/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: sauvage , from Medieval Latin salvaticus , from Latin silvaticus 'of the woods, wild' , from silva 'forest' ]
1 . VIOLENT very violent or cruel SYN vicious :
a savage dog
a savage murder
2 . CRITICIZING criticizing someone or something very severely OPP mild :
a savage attack on the government
3 . SEVERE very severe:
The government has announced savage cuts in spending.
a savage storm
4 . PEOPLE [only before noun] old-fashioned not polite an offensive word used to describe people who have a simple traditional way of life ⇨ primitive :
a savage tribe
—savagely adverb :
He was savagely attacked and beaten.
—savageness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ violent /ˈvaɪələnt/ using force to hurt or kill people – used about people, crimes etc. Also used about films or books that contain a lot of violence:
a violent man who couldn’t control his temper
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the increase in violent crime
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The film is too violent to be shown to children.
▪ vicious /ˈvɪʃəs/ violent and dangerous, and seeming to enjoy hurting people for no reason:
a vicious attack on an unarmed man
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We were surrounded by a gang of vicious thugs, armed with knives.
▪ rough /rʌf/ using force or violence, but not causing serious injury:
Some of the boys were being a bit rough with the younger kids.
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There were complaints about rough treatment by the police.
▪ brutal /ˈbruːtl/ behaving in a way that is very cruel and violent, and showing no pity:
Idi Amin was a brutal dictator.
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a particularly brutal murder
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The prison guards were brutal and corrupt.
▪ savage /ˈsævɪdʒ/ attacking people in a particularly cruel way – used about people and fighting, especially in news reports:
a savage killer
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There was savage fighting in the capital Mogadishu.
▪ bloody a bloody battle or war is very violent and a lot of people are killed or injured:
a bloody civil war
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The Russians were engaged in a bloody battle against the German army.
▪ ferocious /fəˈrəʊʃəs/ a ferocious attack or battle is extremely violent. Also used about animals that are likley to attack in a very violent way:
The two armies fought a ferocious battle.
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a ferocious beast
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It was the most ferocious attack I have ever seen.
▪ fierce a fierce animal or person looks frightening and likely to attack people:
A fierce dog stood growling at the gate.
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Bears are always fierce when they have young.
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fierce bodyguards
▪ bloodthirsty a bloodthirsty person enjoys watching violence. A bloodthirsty story contains a lot of violent scenes:
In Mexico, humans were sacrificed to bloodthirsty gods.
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a bloodthirsty tale of revenge
▪ gory showing or describing injuries, blood, death etc clearly and in detail:
a gory horror movie
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The book was too gory for many readers.
II. savage 2 BrE AmE noun [countable] old-fashioned not polite
a very offensive word for someone who has a simple traditional way of life
III. savage 3 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . if an animal such as a dog savages someone, it attacks them and injures them badly SYN maul
2 . to criticize someone or something very severely SYN attack :
The Prime Minister was savaged by the press for failing to take action quickly enough.