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
During the Middle Ages, for example, many contemporary accounts from both Christian and Muslim societies depicted their opposing side as barbaric, blasphemous, and inferior.
—
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
Reports say Mohammadi was killed in a public hanging seen as a barbaric move by the Iranian regime to snuff out the ongoing movement seeking to topple it, according to Iranian American human rights activists and dissidents.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
What kind of barbaric regime puts a school for little girls in a compound that used to be military?
—Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2026
Is there any knowing what would have happened, had these crimes not been captured in all their barbaric glory?
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
Reports say Mohammadi was killed in a public hanging seen as a barbaric move by the Iranian regime to snuff out the ongoing movement seeking to topple it, according to Iranian American human rights activists and dissidents.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
What kind of barbaric regime puts a school for little girls in a compound that used to be military?
—Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2026
Is there any knowing what would have happened, had these crimes not been captured in all their barbaric glory?
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric
Adjective
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Nichols, 64, was sentenced to death for the brutal beating and rape of 20-year-old Karen Pulley.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
11 Dec. 2025
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Bianchi and the others were marched up the peninsula to POW camps in the north under brutal conditions in a 65-mile trek infamously known as the Bataan Death March.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
11 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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As a benevolent barbarian warrior in the mythical land of Hyrkania, Sonja is enslaved and imprisoned by the ecocidal emperor known as Draygan (Robert Sheehan).—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Aug. 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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But nothing would have prepared him for this — the death of a beloved first-team player, and in such arbitrary, cruel circumstances.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
6 July 2025
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They were joined by actors playing the contestants, who lurched along wearing expressions of exaggerated horror, as though the cruel stakes of the game had just been revealed to them.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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Leave the situation without worrying about seeming rude.—
Taylor Haught,
Miami Herald,
6 Dec. 2025
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While Afrofuturism shares in the Black utopian ideal, the Black utopic ultimately exceeds it because of its rude demand for the possibilities of the here and now.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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What begins as a desperate family bonding trip rapidly devolves into savage violence and brutal psychological warfare.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
3 June 2026
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Their twiggy legs and bony frames exposed in bathing suits, the kids do indeed look extra vulnerable within the film’s savage landscape.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
25 May 2026
Adjective
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Threading the needle On June 15, the Twins were 36-35, just a half-game out of the AL’s third wild-card spot.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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There are more than 20,000 UFC fans on the Ellipse of the White House, and nearly all of them went wild when Diego Lopes took down Steve Garcia in the second round of the first fight.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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Beyond that coincidence, Coleman grew to appreciate Alexander as a multi-sport star – a standout hurdler in track and a tough defender/vicious dunker in basketball.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
9 Dec. 2025
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Takahashi’s story delights in throwing more and more wrenches in the works with a growing cast of chaotic supporting characters (like the vicious Shampoo and the blowhard Tatewaki Kuno), and the anime adapts their antics as pastel-toned slapstick.—
Kambole Campbell,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 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 17 Jun. 2026.
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