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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barbarian
Greg Evans, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2024
Column of Marcus Aurelius was erected in AD 180 to commemorate his victories over the barbarian tribes of the Danube.
—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 20 June 2024
Nikil Saval, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
El Cid Published July 8, 1999 Like victorious barbarians in a war between the present and the past, bulldozers this week tore into the towers and walls of a Miami castle that once housed El Cid restaurant.
—Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarian
Adjective
Steve muses, as the clip cuts to barbarian humanoid pigs attacking a city.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 19 Nov. 2024
Column of Marcus Aurelius was erected in AD 180 to commemorate his victories over the barbarian tribes of the Danube.
—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 20 June 2024
Noun
Scott himself was a bit like one of these barbarians, constantly attacking and unsettling a seemingly stable consensus on the value of state power, and of civilization itself.
—Nikil Saval, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
El Cid Published July 8, 1999 Like victorious barbarians in a war between the present and the past, bulldozers this week tore into the towers and walls of a Miami castle that once housed El Cid restaurant.
—Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarian
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
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
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It can be used to achieve a lot of other cryptographic primitives.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
1 Aug. 2024
Adjective
-
Carry-on rules exist for a reason and deliberately ignoring the rules is both rude and inconsiderate to everyone else who is.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
-
Matthews walked out of the home to talk to the suspect but returned to the house, saying Hoskins-Ellis said something rude to him.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
9 June 2025
Adjective
-
Kohlrabi reappears in a soup over apple and shellfish ceviche, while wild asparagus is bathed in rosemary, thyme, and za’atar, then finished with a green jus and osetra caviar.—
Rooksana Hossenally,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
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One reason some in the DNC went Hogg wild in the first place was the youthful progressive activist’s involvement in a $20 million initiative to back younger primary challengers against Democratic incumbents.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
The October 7th barbaric attack created a compelling imperative for Israel to ensure Hamas could never again reign over Gaza or threaten Israel from there.—
Ehud Barak,
Time,
2 June 2025
-
Now, a local judge is Massachusetts is trying to force the United States to bring back these uniquely barbaric monsters who present a clear and present threat to the safety of the American people.—
Dan Gooding
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
Wednesday night’s barbarous shooting of two Israeli Embassy employees — gunned down, shot in the back allegedly by a pro-Palestinian activist while leaving a peace event at the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. — is more than a mere workaday atrocity.—
Jeffrey Blehar,
National Review,
23 May 2025
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The barbarous relic has glittered amidst the financial carnage.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
Under the Omanis, Zanzibar grew rich selling spices, ivory, and slaves, mostly non-Muslims from the interior, whom the island’s élites derided as washenzi, or uncivilized.—
Julian Lucas,
The New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2022
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Forcing a woman to choose between jail and carrying her rapist's baby is uncivilized and medieval.—
CNN,
CNN,
27 June 2022
Cite this Entry
“Barbarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarian. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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