BARBARIC Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

barbaric

adjective

bär-ˈber-ik

Definition of barbaric

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

as in barbarian

not civilized the barbaric forebears of modern mankind

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 barbaric Things that seem strange or even barbaric to us today were sometimes considered perfectly ordinary at another point in history. — Jim Dudlicek, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026 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 How could anyone do this dastardly, inhumane, barbaric escape? — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for barbaric

Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric

Adjective

This version, though, is brutal, his voice acerbic and his guitar serrated.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 7 Nov. 2026
And through eight games this season, those two words have defined the majority of the third-year wing’s experience on the court for the Chicago Bulls, who are 1-7 after a brutal trio of road losses in the last week.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of brutal

Adjective

Newsom and other opponents of capital punishment have long argued that the process is costly, cruel and discriminatory, with death sentences disproportionately handed down to defendants of color.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
In a cruel twist of fate, the back half of the trailer shows Geoff being affected by severe confusion, sitting outside his house in the cold.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

Don’t expect Miss Manners ever to issue an OK-to-be-rude pass.

— Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
Rosie Campbell, Managing Director of Eleos AI Research, a nonprofit dedicated to understanding and addressing the potential well-being of AI, said that some other studies have even shown that rude questions can actually improve results.

— Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of rude

Adjective

Reducing Gulliver’s Travels to only a topsy-turvy tale of humans both tiny and massive is to ignore the savage intellect that penned its words.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
In ancient, supposedly more savage times, public killings were common.

— Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of savage

Adjective

The Colts have been engaged in trade discussions with players like Jonathan Taylor and Josh Downs after dealing Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner to kick off what many expect to be a wild trade deadline period.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026
Representations of fauna include horses, deer, wild oxen, and at least one bear, though identification is difficult due to the limited depiction of details such as eyes, nostrils, hooves, manes, and coats.

— News Desk, Artforum, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of wild

Adjective

For the moment, Trump’s vicious bigotry has alienated most independent voters and even some Republicans.

— David Yassky, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Outside observers described his vicious consolidation of power as an attempt to compensate for his youth, his limited political experience, and his complete lack of a military background.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of vicious

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

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barbarians

barbaric

barbarism

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“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbaric. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of barbaric

adjective

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