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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2
as in barbarian
not civilized
the barbaric forebears of modern mankind
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Recent Examples of barbaric
Kirk’s assassin, as well as anyone else who engages in barbaric acts, should be condemned, face the ultimate legal consequences for their actions and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
—
Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Cut to 28 days later, when Spike was rescued from a horde of infected by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell), another original survivor who turned out to be the leader of a barbaric cult.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 3 Sep. 2025
An immigration judge issued this barbaric criminal a final order of removal on November 4, 1986.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2025
Its barbaric climax is bloody and grotesque, but also hilarious, if only due to the characters causing such mayhem.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Cut to 28 days later, when Spike was rescued from a horde of infected by Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell), another original survivor who turned out to be the leader of a barbaric cult.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 3 Sep. 2025
An immigration judge issued this barbaric criminal a final order of removal on November 4, 1986.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2025
Its barbaric climax is bloody and grotesque, but also hilarious, if only due to the characters causing such mayhem.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric
Adjective
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Simulations take place between October and March in brutal winter conditions, when the Gobi freezes solid.—
Rosanna Philpott,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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This early modern period would set the foundations of the rise of the transatlantic slave trade and a new form of slavery—hereditary racial slavery—that would be central to the creation of the racial-caste hierarchy and to the rise of Britain’s wealthy and brutal Caribbean slave empire.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
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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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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In Pahani’s 2006 award-winning comedy Offside, about the cruel cultural chains binding Iranian women, a group of young women attempt to gain entry to a stadium to watch a World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Japan.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
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There is no reason to be cruel to people.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For three long weeks that began to seem rude or impertinent, as if the Prize hadn’t been announced, as if a king and queen weren’t waiting for his answer, Dylan said nothing about the award.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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According to Dakota, the sisters once had a tense encounter with a rude man that ended with the Complete Unknown star's drink all over him.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Rader’s double life as a doting father and savage murderer is the subject of the new Netflix documentary My Father, the BTK Killer, based on his daughter Kerri Rawson’s search to make sense of the secret double life her father hid from his family.—
Johnny Dodd,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
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The ensuing carnage was swift and savage.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There have been no reports of humans contracting Herpes B from a wild rhesus monkey, but 50 cases of humans contracting it from the monkeys in laboratory settings have been reported.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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Russell is their best option at point guard until Irving returns, and Russell can be a bit of a wild animal.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This creates a vicious cycle where shame is a currency, and the only person who actually pays a price is the one who is mocked.—
Eli Thompson,
Rolling Stone,
25 Oct. 2025
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After their parents got the police involved, the case remained unsolved for months until the FBI uncovered the shocking truth of who was behind the vicious messages after all.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 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 31 Oct. 2025.
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