as in savage
not civilized
people who were regarded as barbarian by the ancient Romans
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in primitive
an uncivilized person
the invading Germanic tribes were viewed as barbarians by the citizens of ancient Rome
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barbarian
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2025
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
Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
Per this year’s edition of AIR MAIL’s annual Over-Under List, caviar bumps—where barbarians (TikTokers) lick precious fish eggs off the back of their hands like table salt before a gag-inducing tequila shot—are out!
—Air Mail, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarian
Adjective
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
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
Noun
And if any of you barbarians out there slather ranch dressing on your wings, there’s a special place in hell just for you.
—Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
Per this year’s edition of AIR MAIL’s annual Over-Under List, caviar bumps—where barbarians (TikTokers) lick precious fish eggs off the back of their hands like table salt before a gag-inducing tequila shot—are out!
—Air Mail, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarian
Adjective
-
The famed African American journalist investigated lynchings across the South and wrote about the savage incidents that the white press had already explained away.—
Case Thorp,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The loss of books is minor, almost trivial, in light of all the horrors and violence unleashed by this senseless war, but the potential loss of these books is a sad reminder that we’re all affected and implicated in America’s savage flailings.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
What follows this admission is a piercing dissection not of the art itself, but of frameworks of looking at Black art and life that go beyond racist tropes disguised as appeals to the primitive, the spontaneous, the corporeal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Burlington Antique Show Browse more than 200 dealers of antiques, vintage jewelry, primitives, garden and architectural elements, mid-century collectibles, memorabilia, Americana and retro/vintage furniture at this monthly outdoor antique market.—
Luann Gibbs,
The Enquirer,
14 Aug. 2024
Adjective
-
Pete Hegseth rebukes 'rude' reporter who interrupted Pentagon briefing on Iran.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, wearing baseball caps backward is considered a rude violation of etiquette, and going barefoot is not allowed.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Wong earlier shared wild video of the car takeover on social media showing multiple cars doing tire-screeching donuts near a ring of fire on the street, with a passenger in one car holding a large Palestinian flag out the window.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The area Life is decidedly unhurried in this part of the world, where the sunkissed monte landscape is punctuated by cork, olive, and oak trees, wild horses frolic in meadows, and huge granite dolmens hint at a pagan past.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Rather remain archaic and barbaric than find a better option to give.—
Yesika Salgado,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
-
During the Middle Ages, for example, many contemporary accounts from both Christian and Muslim societies depicted their opposing side as barbaric, blasphemous, and inferior.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Lies told by people who are simply too afraid to look at such an ugly, barbarous reality.—
Clare Malone,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
In the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, a man dressed as a cop shot two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, killing the DFL speaker of the House and her husband in a barbarous (and politically motivated) atrocity.—
Jeffrey Blehar,
National Review,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
Colonial technology came for his kingdom, regardless, and the forces of modernity ended up demonizing those who didn’t embrace technology as backward and uncivilized.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Rather than a barrier between north and south, Arab and African, civilized and uncivilized, the Sahara emerges as a varied landscape deeply enmeshed in trading, religious, and other networks that stretch beyond its vast expanse.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barbarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarian. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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