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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in barbarian

not civilized the barbaric forebears of modern mankind

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Maggie Greene was introduced in The Walking Dead season 2 as an open-hearted survivor who was just beginning to grapple with the barbaric nature of her new reality after the Wildfire virus decimates humanity. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 25 July 2026 The entire barbaric Ukraine adventure will look like a catastrophe. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 In the film, which was based on a Pulitzer Prize nominated memoir, Betty escapes the clutches of her barbaric Iranian husband (played by Alfred Molina) and courageously smuggles herself and her daughter out of Iran. — Literary Hub, 29 June 2026 But because of his radical and violent fight for freedom, Dessalines’ enemies often described him as ferocious and barbaric, both during his lifetime and in the centuries after his death. — Julia Gaffield, The Conversation, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for barbaric

Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric

Adjective

Horror films and increasingly brutal crime stories reveal the very large market for the subject.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
McKinley stages a few bullet-sweating sequences of peril, including a particularly brutal transport of gold bars across a crumbling rope bridge and an underwater accident exacerbated by floating logs.

— Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of brutal

Adjective

Bronwyn’s mother, Muzzy, who was lambasted all of last season for being cold and arguably cruel to her daughter, is notably softer in her first scene back — though the bob is as cunty as ever.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
He was convicted of four counts of war crimes including murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of cruel

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

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

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

His Lamb goes from a brash Yorkshire showman to a callous profiteer of human vice and misery, his cheeky smile becoming a vicious snarl.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
The strikes were often most vicious in the far north of Yemen, a rebel stronghold and the region where the Houthi movement had been founded, in the nineteen-nineties.

— Kareem Fahim, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 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 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of barbaric

adjective

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