1
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
a barbaric dictator who tortured his own people with no qualms
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarian
not civilized
the barbaric forebears of modern mankind
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Recent Examples of barbaric
To be clear, political violence is barbaric and horrifying.
—
Billy Eichner, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2025
Colum has this great line about barbaric tools.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Sep. 2025
Kirk’s assassin, as well as anyone else who engages in barbaric acts, should be condemned, face the ultimate legal consequences for their actions and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Cut to 28 days later, when Spike was rescued from a horde of infected by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell), another original survivor who turned out to be the leader of a barbaric cult.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Billy Eichner, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2025
Colum has this great line about barbaric tools.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Sep. 2025
Kirk’s assassin, as well as anyone else who engages in barbaric acts, should be condemned, face the ultimate legal consequences for their actions and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Cut to 28 days later, when Spike was rescued from a horde of infected by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell), another original survivor who turned out to be the leader of a barbaric cult.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric
Adjective
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Recently, the vast majority have been coming from Sudan, embroiled in a brutal civil war which has displaced millions.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Musically, Lee took on the air of a woman revealing intimate truths about herself one year at a time, shedding layers as a way of rewarding patience with honesty, no matter how brutal.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Ashley Johnson and star/executive producer Travis Willingham tee up what's coming for their soft barbarian lady.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
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Bailey plays half-elf ranger Vex, O’Brien is her twin brother Vax, Willingham is the lovable barbarian Grog, Johnson is the holy gnome cleric Pike, Jaffe is the royal gunslinger Percy, Ray is magical half-elf druid Keyleth and Riegel is the raunchy gnome bard Scanlan.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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That is unacceptably cruel, corrupt, and undemocratic.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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Instead, she was stripped of her bronze medal after a late score inquiry—a ruling that still feels cruel for an athlete who had delivered the performance of her life.—
Essence,
Essence,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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People who are rude or unaware with receptionists can poison your culture, create unnecessary hierarchies, and drive your best people to leave.—
Jessica Neal,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
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In a post on the AITA subreddit, the original poster (OP) explained that her sister, 34, who's always rude to her, has a 6-year-old son.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Edmund Fitzgerald was caught in a savage storm with hurricane-force winds around 100-mile-an-hour and waves up to 60 feet, crashing down on the freighter every four to eight seconds, says Bacon.—
NPR,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
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Here, spiritual infractions are met with savage physical punishment and some of the more grotesque images in recent horror memory (which, as the genre has become ever more popular and emboldened, is seriously saying something).—
Dennis Perkins,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Seek out wild places and remember that your body is not made to be hacked or optimized but to connect you to the earth beneath your feet.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
11 Nov. 2025
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What’s even wilder, even more mind-blowing about this barrage of bricks?—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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But his preposterously wide net, his endless minions, and his vicious style left us no choice but to scale back on the data center theme.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
10 Nov. 2025
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Tommy's new relationship with Mireya Garcia (Carmela Zumbado) has sparked a face-off with her brother and the leader of the vicious drug gang Insane Princes, Miguel (Manuel Eduardo Ramirez).—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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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
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The barbarous relic has glittered amidst the financial carnage.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbaric. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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