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
Relevance
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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of Neanderthal
Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
Published: Feb 3, 2025 Claire Cameron (Photo: Claire Cameron)
Claire Cameron’s novels include The Last Neanderthal and The Bear.
—Claire Cameron, Outside Online, 3 Feb. 2025
Blood Type and Health The lack of variety in blood type within Neanderthals may have led them to their demise.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025
By extracting and sequencing Neanderthal DNA, scientists unlocked unprecedented insights into their biology and behavior.
—Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Neanderthal
Noun
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
Published: Feb 3, 2025 Claire Cameron (Photo: Claire Cameron)
Claire Cameron’s novels include The Last Neanderthal and The Bear.
—Claire Cameron, Outside Online, 3 Feb. 2025
Blood Type and Health The lack of variety in blood type within Neanderthals may have led them to their demise.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025
By extracting and sequencing Neanderthal DNA, scientists unlocked unprecedented insights into their biology and behavior.
—Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Neanderthal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Neanderthal
Noun
-
Because the park was damaged and is surrounded by the hulks of once-beloved homes.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
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
-
El Cid Published July 8, 1999 Like victorious barbarians in a war between the present and the past, bulldozers this week tore into the towers and walls of a Miami castle that once housed El Cid restaurant.—
Jeff Kleinman,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
My question: Was there any way to have prevented this rude woman from stealing away all of my guests? GENTLE READER: Counter-questions: Did the boss and his wife drop the guests off before the emergency furniture move?—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Really, any movie exceeding 100 minutes in this genre is just plain rude.—
Jordan Crucchiola,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The appearance of lumps, wart-like growths, or open sores that don't heal within a few weeks is also a significant sign.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2025
-
However, during a physical provided by the WTA, the governing body of women’s tennis, the following year, another doctor encouraged Dabrowski to get the lump scanned.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Unique creatures, odd animals and new species are discovered across the planet.—
Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2025
-
This movie is cute, has vibrant landscapes (jelly beans, hot-air balloons, artsy eggs), and animals with loads of personality.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
18 Apr. 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 loser of Friday’s game in Atlanta enters the offseason.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2025
-
The loser of the 7-8 game then hosts the winner of the 9-10 game with that winner earning the eighth seed.—
Dan Loumena,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
That is now as pathetic to me as a fetid caveman’s toolmaking would be to a great thinker like da Vinci or even Edgar Allen Poe.—
Graham Techler,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Even cavemen, in ancient, simpler times, could not merely sit around in cave admiring/praising one another, but had to hunt, fight, compete with members of own group for status.—
George Saunders,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Neanderthal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Neanderthal. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share