1
as in hulk
a big clumsy often slow-witted person
they looked like a tribe of Neanderthals compared to the bridegroom's patrician-looking family
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarian
a man with crude manners and habits and outmoded attitudes
made the mistake of dining with some Neanderthal who repeatedly mistook his shirtsleeve for a napkin
Synonyms & Similar Words
variants
or Neandertal
as in rude
not civilized
her boyfriend's Neanderthal tastes and manners were often embarrassing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of Neanderthal
Ben Marwick, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2025
Earlier research shows Neanderthals engaged in cultural rituals such as ornamental crafting, cave wall art, and even familial and social funeral burials.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Dec. 2024
Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
fossils
Neanderthals
evolution
anthropology
paleontology
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—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 2025
More of Florida’s contemporary GOP lawmakers seem prone to cheer on Neanderthal talking points than challenge them.
—Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Neanderthal
Noun
During the Middle Paleolithic, when Neanderthals were modern humans’ neighbors, new technologies meant something quite different: new kinds of stone tools that were smaller but could be used for many tasks and lasted for a long time.
—Ben Marwick, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2025
Earlier research shows Neanderthals engaged in cultural rituals such as ornamental crafting, cave wall art, and even familial and social funeral burials.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Dec. 2024
Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
fossils
Neanderthals
evolution
anthropology
paleontology
1 free article left
Want More?
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 2025
More of Florida’s contemporary GOP lawmakers seem prone to cheer on Neanderthal talking points than challenge them.
—Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Neanderthal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Neanderthal
Noun
-
Like the ghostly hulk of the Titanic below the surface of the sea, Northbrook Court is a quiet and cavernous relic — at the bottom of the retail food chain.—
David Petitti,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The first night, the characters are menaced by a bald hulk in overalls, wearing a clown mask with the mouth area (including his teeth) smashed in.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Las Casas thought that the real barbarians weren’t the Indians but the Spaniards.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Scott himself was a bit like one of these barbarians, constantly attacking and unsettling a seemingly stable consensus on the value of state power, and of civilization itself.—
Nikil Saval,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Hintz, meanwhile, got a rude welcome back early in Game 4 when Evan Bouchard slashed him right in the same area that Darnell Nurse injured him in Game 2.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
-
And in the case of fully autonomous EVs, it might be considered rude to expect human passengers to get out and cable a robotaxi to a supercharger for a quick top up on the way to the airport.—
Paul Ridden
May 23,
New Atlas,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
What’s more, the double-stitched seams and baffle box design keep lumps at bay.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
28 May 2025
-
That was a big moment, that was a big lump of publicity.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
Since weed seeds are so easily distributed by wind and animals, every square inch of soil inevitably contains hundreds of seeds.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2025
-
Both the human and animal bones are undergoing further study and radiocarbon dating to provide additional context.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
-
As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
Noun
-
The University of San Diego and San Diego State both lost Thursday to drop into the losers’ brackets of their respective double-elimination conference baseball tournaments.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2025
-
The Brookings Institution already finds that Generative AI is revolutionizing industries at a breadth and pace unseen since the Industrial Revolution, while more autonomous technologies are accelerating the determination of winners and losers from agriculture to transportation.—
Charles Beames,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
An investment in Carrier’s business, according to Welborn’s sales material, which also featured the HomeVestors caveman mascot, Ug, was both lucrative and secure.—
Anjeanette Damon,
ProPublica,
13 May 2025
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Fact checked by Sarah Scott New viral skin care 'caveman skin' trend promotes not using any products, or even water.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
12 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Neanderthal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Neanderthal. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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