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

The Process There are plenty of valid fears that come with going gray and the long, often brutal grow-out process is just one of them.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Sep. 2026
New Yorkers are in for a brutal weekend filled with heavy rainfall and intense winds as a powerful early-season nor’easter threatens to wallop much of the East Coast.

— Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of brutal

Adjective

In the book, MacLachlan recalls being utterly dumbfounded at having been asked to do something so oblivious at best and cruel at worst.

— Rachel Brodsky, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Many of them, including Ned and his childhood friend and rival, Roland, are scarred by their time as youth players, haunted by memories of the sadistic coaches and cruel, competitive fathers who terrorized them both on and off the court.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

Other teachers would also forward Phillips copies of rude emails sent by Moore.

— Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026
Loud phone use, rude behavior toward airport staff, and careless suitcase handling can make stressful terminals even more frustrating.

— Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of rude

Adjective

The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index weathered a savage 30% drawdown, has been choppily trendless for two months, then in recent days finally broke above its downtrend and surmounted the 50-day moving average.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of savage

Adjective

The movie was met with multiple mid-screening applauses as the crowd went wild for all the kaiju mayhem on screen.

— Antonio Ferme, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026
Nolan Arenado hit one of Arizona's three home runs and Geraldo Perdomo drove in four runs for the Diamondbacks, who beat San Diego 11-4 on Friday night to remain alive for the National League's final wild-card spot.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 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

Browse Nearby Words

barbarians

barbaric

barbarism

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Style

“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbaric. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of barbaric

adjective

Example Sentences

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