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barbarian 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of barbariannext
as in savage
not civilized people who were regarded as barbarian by the ancient Romans

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

barbarian

2 of 2

noun

bär-ˈber-ē-ən How to pronounce barbarian (audio)
as in primitive
an uncivilized person the invading Germanic tribes were viewed as barbarians by the citizens of ancient Rome

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 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
Then, a thousand years after Rome fell to barbarians, Italy brightly lit the paths of the Renaissance for others to follow. — Gary Grasso, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026 There are barbarians with battle axes and swords, robots with laser guns, spaceships, a warlock with a skull for a face. — Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 4 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for barbarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarian
  1. savage
  2. primitive
  3. rude
  4. wild
  5. barbaric
  6. barbarous
  7. uncivilized
Adjective
  • Hamilton lets down Claire’s savage hauteur; Mays’ eyes glisten with all the regrets of lost love.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The savage purge since June of high-momentum stocks – dominated by AI hardware and related industrials – has sapped the bullish aggression of traders, helping to reset tactical sentiment toward a more neutral level.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of savage
Noun
  • Inventory scanners flag every primitive the library makes available.
    — Atsushi Yamada, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of primitive
Adjective
  • But the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator knows his unit must show urgency and improvement Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders after a rude wake-up call in the season opener.
    — Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Sanders would go so far as to kick out rude guests, former employees said.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of rude
Adjective
  • The Cubs remained tied with the San Diego Padres for the top wild-card spot, and both moved one game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies.
    — Gary Schatz, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The discovery, reported Thursday in the journal Current Biology, marks the first time scientists have named and described a new living wild cat species in more than a century.
    — Paola Flores, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of wild
Adjective
  • The women are frequently naked, and the men are either murderous or barbaric.
    — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Ironically, the authority of doctors was supremely important to medieval people, even if the treatments seem barbaric and ineffective now.
    — T.M. Brown, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of barbaric
Adjective
  • The chaos in Ithaca may be political and ethical—a violation of custom—but stretches of the poem are barbarous and wild, beyond civilized life altogether.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
  • Seeking to eliminate Berber forces in the barren mountains of northern Morocco, seven soldiers obediently follow their fanatical sergeant (Víctor Clavijo) into barbarous depths of depravity.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 16 May 2026
Definition of barbarous
Adjective
  • But the show repeatedly undercuts that point of view by halfway reinforcing the age-old American assumption that crime is born of poor individual choices among an uncivilized populace, not of poverty, desperation, and preservation, both self and communal.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 27 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of uncivilized

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barbarian
barbarianism
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Cite this Entry

“Barbarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarian. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on barbarian

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about barbarian

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