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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarian
not civilized
the barbaric forebears of modern mankind
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barbaric
At least that hideous and barbaric thing occurred before the book came out.
—
Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 31 July 2025
This change was the product of three attacks: Hamas’s barbaric invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, and Iran’s direct missile and drone attacks ...
—Elliott Abrams, National Review, 24 July 2025
In contrast, Tolkien imagined elves as elegant and refined, while humans had the capacity to be as barbaric as orcs, or as noble as elves.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Hamas’s barbaric attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was the opening deadly salvo to put action into Iran’s ideology.
—Dr. Robert G. Rabil, Sun Sentinel, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 31 July 2025
This change was the product of three attacks: Hamas’s barbaric invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, and Iran’s direct missile and drone attacks ...
—Elliott Abrams, National Review, 24 July 2025
In contrast, Tolkien imagined elves as elegant and refined, while humans had the capacity to be as barbaric as orcs, or as noble as elves.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
Hamas’s barbaric attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was the opening deadly salvo to put action into Iran’s ideology.
—Dr. Robert G. Rabil, Sun Sentinel, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric
Adjective
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A day after a brutal collision with the railing near the camera well — and a camera — Freddy Fermin is back behind the plate and batting ninth in a lineup identical to Friday’s.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Aug. 2025
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The course is a brutal, out-and-back journey of 100 miles through Colorado’s rugged high country, demanding over 15,000 feet of climbing.—
Jenn Nelson,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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That is a particularly egregious example of how the Trump Administration has been gratuitously cruel to the Sudanese.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2025
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Stacy, Tim’s wife, also died of pancreatic cancer five months later in February of 2024, a cruel hand for a family that for years had gone above and beyond in their efforts to raise money and awareness for cancer research.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Think scarf head coverings for women in Catholic churches, shoe removal for all to enter a mosque, yarmulkes required for men in synagogues, but also pay attention to the cultural norms away from houses of worship and behave accordingly to avoid being considered a rude American.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
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The Reddit community nearly unanimously branded the boyfriend as rude and tone-deaf.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Fans used to seeing the Kansas City Chiefs star all suited up for football games or a night out with gf Taylor Swift may do a double take at the (literally) wild spread.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
13 Aug. 2025
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Originally, the trip was to gather wild images of nature.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Feeling profoundly betrayed and abandoned by David, Rebecca’s loyalty lies with the vicious and conniving Juno, the only family she’s known for the last decade.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
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Nothing could possibly go wrong with all the vicious alien specimens on board, right?—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 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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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
Cite this Entry
“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbaric. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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