savagery

savagery — noun

1. intentionally cruel and physically violent conduct that inflicts severe sufferin

1.nounB2
Definition

intentionally cruel and physically violent conduct that inflicts severe suffering, such as killing, beating, or deliberately destroying property.

Example

The documentary showed the savagery of the civil war through interviews with survivors.

savagery of + noun (the conflict or event)

Neighbours were shocked by the savagery of the attack on the elderly man.

Common collocations
  • acts of savagery
  • savagery of war
  • savagery of the attack
  • unimaginable savagery
  • appalling savagery
Synonyms
  • brutality

    similar intensity; savagery implies a more primal, uncontrolled quality

  • ferocity

    focuses on wild aggression during an attack; savagery covers broader patterns of cruelty

  • cruelty

    more general; savagery emphasises physical violence specifically

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

savagery of + noun (the conflict or event)

acts of savagery

Usage Note

Often used to describe collective violence in war or conflict. Can be countable (e.g. 'the savageries of war') when referring to specific violent acts.

Common Mistakes

The savagery of the storm destroyed the crops.
The violence of the storm destroyed the crops.
'savagery' applies to humans or animals, not to natural events.

2. a wild, untamed, and uncontrolled quality found in nature, animals, or a person'

2.nounC1
Definition

a wild, untamed, and uncontrolled quality found in nature, animals, or a person's character — for example, the fierce look of a wolf or the raw power of a mountain landscape.

Example

The hikers were in awe of the savagery of the remote mountain terrain.

In his novel, the writer captured the savagery of the jungle and its wild creatures.

savagery of + natural feature

Common collocations
  • savagery of nature
  • savagery of the landscape
  • savagery in someone's eyes
Synonyms
  • wildness

    more neutral; savagery suggests a sharper, more dangerous edge

  • ferocity

    ferocity often describes a momentary attack; savagery describes a lasting quality

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

savagery of + noun (natural feature or creature)

Usage Note

This sense is more literary or descriptive than sense 1. It does not carry a moral judgement of cruelty; instead it emphasises the raw, untamed quality of something wild.

Word family

  • savage
    adjectiveB2
  • savage
    nounC1
  • savagely
    adverbB2
  • savageness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'savagery', 'brutality', 'ferocity', 'cruelty', and 'viciousness' all describe harmful behaviour, they differ in emphasis. 'Savagery' suggests a primal, almost animal-like lack of restraint — it implies the perpetrator has abandoned civilised norms entirely. 'Brutality' focuses on the physical harshness and absence of mercy during violent acts. 'Ferocity' describes the intense, aggressive energy with which an attack is carried out, often in a single event. 'Cruelty' is broader, covering both physical and emotional harm done deliberately. 'Viciousness' implies a spiteful, mean-spirited intent beyond mere violence. For example, one might describe the 'savagery' of a battlefield massacre (primal, large-scale), but the 'viciousness' of a personal insult (mean-spirited, targeted).

brutalityferocitycruelty ↗viciousness

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • unimaginably
  • appallingly
  • shockingly

Phrases

  • acts of savagery
  • descent into savagery

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'savagery' came into English in the 1500s from the French word 'sauvagerie', which itself comes from 'sauvage' meaning 'wild' or 'untamed'. That French word traces back to the Latin 'silvaticus' meaning 'of the woods' (from 'silva' meaning 'forest'). So originally the word described something that belonged to the forest — wild and uncultivated — before it took on the stronger meaning of cruel violence.