barbarity

noun

bar·​bar·​i·​ty bär-ˈber-ə-tē 

-ˈba-rə-

plural barbarities

1

: barbarism

2

a

: barbarous cruelty : inhumanity

b

: an act or instance of such cruelty

Synonyms of barbarity

• cruelty
• brutality

Examples of barbarity in a Sentence

The barbarity of the attack was horrifying.

The photos vividly capture the war's barbarity.

He is accused of inflicting unimaginable barbarities on his own people.

Recent Examples on the Web

Thousands of children have been terrorized, detained, and many have been deported because of ICE’s unchecked barbarity. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2026

Cathy escapes, the Jimmies' numbers are diminished, and the stomach-churning barbarity finally comes to an end. —Megan McCluskey, Time, 16 Jan. 2026

His observations about the barbarity of women’s beauty regimens aren’t exactly new, but they are acted out with enthusiasm and verve. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026

Under such regimes, the state uses indiscriminate barbarity to instill constant terror in the population. —Elizabeth Tsurkov, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for barbarity

• collinearity
• dissimilarity
• particularity
• multicollinearity

Kids Definition

barbarity

noun

bar·​bar·​i·​ty bär-ˈbar-ət-ē 

plural barbarities

1

: barbarism

2

a

: cruelty sense 1

b

: a cruel act