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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Recent Examples of barbaric
Then there's all the additional atrocities she's been exposed to this season, like the barbaric violence of the Legion.
—
Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
These brave people have been risking their lives daily to protest this barbaric regime for more than two weeks now.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2026
Along with being a barbaric and disgraceful method of caring for people with severe mental illness, jails are not a long-term option.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 24 Dec. 2025
Other states’ ‘Black Laws’ Southern legislatures imposed barbaric laws on Black residents, whether enslaved or free, for centuries.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
These brave people have been risking their lives daily to protest this barbaric regime for more than two weeks now.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2026
Along with being a barbaric and disgraceful method of caring for people with severe mental illness, jails are not a long-term option.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 24 Dec. 2025
Other states’ ‘Black Laws’ Southern legislatures imposed barbaric laws on Black residents, whether enslaved or free, for centuries.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric
Adjective
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Rachel is doing her best to be supportive as Ian is desperate to learn if his ex-wife, Wahionaweh, and their son, Swiftest of Lizards, survived the brutal massacre of their village and so many others.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
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On the thermal side, flat-wire coils and cooling fins reduce energy losses and help the motor hold its peak output longer on brutal climbs, rather than quietly throttling back when things get hot.—
Omar Kardoudi
April 10,
New Atlas,
10 Apr. 2026
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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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
Adjective
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Dahl’s books are fanciful and imaginative, but also dark, cynical, and mean (and, unfortunately, often reflected his real-life ugliness), spinning stories in which gruesome and unpleasant fates befell rotten kids, and adults were frequently selfish, cruel, and not to be trusted.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
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Violating that trust is both cruel and unlawful.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Pete Hegseth rebukes 'rude' reporter who interrupted Pentagon briefing on Iran.—
,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, wearing baseball caps backward is considered a rude violation of etiquette, and going barefoot is not allowed.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The famed African American journalist investigated lynchings across the South and wrote about the savage incidents that the white press had already explained away.—
Case Thorp,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2026
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The loss of books is minor, almost trivial, in light of all the horrors and violence unleashed by this senseless war, but the potential loss of these books is a sad reminder that we’re all affected and implicated in America’s savage flailings.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Her work plainly belongs to this lineage of witchy writers, women whose deliciously corrupted scenes of home and hearth produce fear and wild laughter at once.—
Kristen Roupenian,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Sure, there were errant 3-pointers, and a wild reverse layup that was way off in the third quarter.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The wereboar growled next to Black Pudding, a hulking vicious monster, both focused on ripping Puck and Cordelia to shreds.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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The childishness of his expressions infantilized a genuinely vicious regime, painting it as more peevish than petrifying.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Lies told by people who are simply too afraid to look at such an ugly, barbarous reality.—
Clare Malone,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbaric. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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