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savage

sav·age/ˈsævɪd͡ʒ/adjective, noun, verb

savage is spelled S-A-V-A-G-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (sav·age). It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “salvage vs savage” about 20 times a month (Google, United States). As an adjective, savage means “Wild; not cultivated or tamed” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in savage?

Letters6: S-A-V-A-G-E
Syllables2: sav·age
In writing11 times per million words; the 6,565th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Pairs people search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).

How common is savage?

Savage appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,565th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce savage?

  • US /ˈsævɪd͡ʒ/
  • British /ˈsavɪd͡ʒ/
  • Australia /ˈsævəd͡ʒ/

Savage has 2 syllables, split sav·age in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-savage.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with savage

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

salvage vs savage20 G
sav vs savage0 B

Also written: salvage, sav.

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

Forms of savage

  • more savage comparative
  • most savage superlative
  • savages plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • salvage
  • savaging participle, present
  • savaged participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does savage mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Wild; not cultivated or tamed.

    a savage wilderness

  2. 2

    Barbaric; not civilized.

    savage manners

  3. 3

    Primitive; lacking complexity or sophistication.

  4. 4

    Fierce and ferocious.

    savage beasts

  5. 5

    Brutal, vicious, or merciless.

    He gave the dog a savage kick.

  6. 6

    slangOf an insult or person: disrespectful, audacious, and either blunt or sarcastic, in a hilarious way.

    Wow, that was a savage burn. Absolutely no chill.

  7. 7

    UKslangUnpleasant or unfair.

    – I'll see you in detention. – Ah, savage!

  8. 8

    IrelandUSslangGreat, brilliant, amazing.

noun

  1. 1

    derogatoryA member of a traditional, nonindustrialised society or indigenous tribe or other group, typically living closely with nature outside of the infrastructure of urbanized civilization.

  2. 2

    An aggressively defiant person.

    Their kids are little savages! One of them bit me the other day.

  3. 3

    slangSomeone who speaks in an audacious, hilarious, and often sarcastic manner.

  4. 4

    obsoleteA wild and ferocious beast.

verb

  1. 1

    To attack or assault someone or something ferociously or without restraint.

    No matter how anyone might savage me, I should stay strong.

  2. 2

    To criticise vehemently.

    His latest film was savaged by most reviewers.

  3. 3

    To attack with the teeth.

  4. 4

    obsoleteTo make savage.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate savage?

Wiktionary records one abbreviation of savage: sav.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Savage in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchsauvage (wild, not cultivated), barbare (barbaric, not civilized), féroce (fierce and ferocious)
Germanwild (wild, not cultivated), wüst, unbebaut (barbaric, not civilized), unbändig, rasend (fierce and ferocious), Wilder (uncivilized or feral person)
Portugueseselvagem (wild, not cultivated)
Spanishsalvaje (wild, not cultivated)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does savage come from?

From Middle English savage, from Old French sauvage, salvage (“wild, untamed”), from Late Latin salvāticus, alteration of Latin silvāticus (“wild”, literally “of the woods”), from silva (“forest; grove”). Doublet of sylvatic.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after savage