savagery

• IPA^(key): /ˈsæv.ɪd͡ʒ.ɹɪ/

savagery (countable and uncountable, plural savageries)

1. (uncountable) Savage or brutal behaviour; barbarity.
2. (countable) A violent act of cruelty.
3. Savages collectively; the world of savages.
   • 1927, Havelock Ellis, Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6)‎:

     They spring out of an element of diffused homosexuality which is at least as marked in civilization as it is in savagery.

4. (uncountable) Wild growth of plants.
   • 1990, Brian Leverett, Water Gardens: Step-By-Step to Success, page 9:

     […] they […] made, amongst other features, lead ponds. With their departure these lands once more reverted to savagery; gardening, along with virtually all aspects of culture, disappeared and with it the man-made water gardens.

• sweet savagery