1
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
a monarch resorting to whatever barbarous means he deemed necessary to protect his throne
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarian
not civilized
an aunt who abhors barbarous behavior such as eating with your fingers
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Recent Examples of barbarous
Any slip-up or act of insubordination, no matter how small, results in immediate death from the barbarous SS members running the camp.
—
Josh Weiss, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Experts told PolitiFact such narratives painting Haiti as a barbarous country are not new and are racist attempts to dehumanize Haitians.
—Jeff Cercone, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Sep. 2024
Treating barbarous body horror as something embedded in us deeper than the mutual love of a partner, especially when it’s done without the theatrical or exploitation trappings, makes for one of the New French Extremity’s most troubling works.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
How does Reed manage to revisit some of the world’s most barbarous acts without succumbing to despair?
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 9 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for barbarous
Josh Weiss, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Experts told PolitiFact such narratives painting Haiti as a barbarous country are not new and are racist attempts to dehumanize Haitians.
—Jeff Cercone, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Sep. 2024
Treating barbarous body horror as something embedded in us deeper than the mutual love of a partner, especially when it’s done without the theatrical or exploitation trappings, makes for one of the New French Extremity’s most troubling works.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024
How does Reed manage to revisit some of the world’s most barbarous acts without succumbing to despair?
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 9 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for barbarous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarous
Adjective
-
The Royals lost to the Dodgers on Friday night, a brutal 5-4 loss as Jac Caglianone grounded into a double play to conclude the 11th straight home loss.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
28 June 2025
-
Each of the disciples have their own secrets to bear, life taking them on some brutal pathways, the piece leaning into powerful introspection.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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The economy will not thrive on backward, barbarian technologies and our babies will suffer from the burden of debt, bad air and blackouts.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
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Built on the site of an ancient Roman fortress that protected the empire from barbarian invasion, the castle was constructed between the 11th and 14th centuries.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 June 2025
Adjective
-
Politics remains a cruel business and the governor has been on the frontline of it for nearly 20 years, winning and losing.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
5 July 2025
-
They were joined by actors playing the contestants, who lurched along wearing expressions of exaggerated horror, as though the cruel stakes of the game had just been revealed to them.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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Nearly one in four Gen Z professionals viewed the thumbs-up as rude or hostile.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
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Mowing during a neighbor’s party is considered rude because the noise disrupts conversation and spoils the relaxed mood.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
-
Fortune Feimster partnered with Johnsonville, the popular sausage brand, for a wild Fourth of July bash at Summerfest in Milwaukee.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
8 July 2025
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Best Nordstrom Anniversary Sale accessory deals Some pretty wild things are going on over in the accessories department, where high-summer necessities like city bags and sleek sunglasses are up to 45% off.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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This approach costs three times more than housing people and creates a vicious cycle — incarceration increases homelessness risk by destroying community connections and employment prospects.—
Mahdi E Diab,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 June 2025
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Of course, no conversation about Yellowjackets season 3 would be complete without a deep dive into Shauna's vicious throw down with Swank's Melissa — during which Shauna rips a chunk of flesh off Melissa's arm with her teeth and forces her to eat it.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
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Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Barbarous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://x0upouf933.proxynodejs.usequeue.com/thesaurus/barbarous. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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