barbaric

adjective

bär-ˈber-ik How to pronounce barbaric (audio)
Definition of barbaricnext
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

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 But while some viewers were eager for the hyper-violent spectacle of the UFC, other people and institutions regarded its lack of weight classes and rules as barbaric and bloodthirsty. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 28 May 2026 Luminous yet lethal, Rudolph carries herself with enough conviction to make the reluctant royal daughter of the barbaric Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford) feel inherently consequential. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 May 2026 Trump has surrendered the title of Leader of the Free World to Zelenskyy, who has successfully rallied the EU in defense of barbaric, genocidal imperial Russia. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 5 May 2026 Rather remain archaic and barbaric than find a better option to give. — Yesika Salgado, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric
  1. brutal
  2. barbarian
  3. cruel
  4. rude
  5. savage
  6. wild
  7. vicious
  8. barbarous
Adjective
  • And such attacks are not merely tactics of war, but the brutal intersection of the logic of war and the logic of climate vulnerability.
    — Sarah Yerkes, Time, 10 July 2026
  • That film culminated in the brutal defeat of House Atreides by rival House Harkonnen, with Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), fleeing to the desert and taking refuge among the Fremen.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026
Definition of brutal
Adjective
  • Language would have been a part of the divide between Roman and barbarian.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
  • For the design of the barbarian figure, Sweet reached out to Mark Taylor, an artist and designer at Mattel.
    — Sanat Pai RaikarAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 May 2026
Definition of barbarian
Adjective
  • The heat has become so unbearable in Japan that weather officials in April announced a new term for days when maximum temperatures exceed 104 degrees — kokushobi, meaning harsh or cruel heat, according to the Japan Times.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • For thousands of Venezuelans, however, the lack of definitive answers has become one of the tragedy’s cruelest consequences.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • Only one guy, Timothy Piatkowski, a researcher involved with the Games, suggested that my question might be a little rude.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • It’s considered rude to answer one’s phone on public transport or in a restaurant, for example.
    — Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2026
Definition of rude
Adjective
  • The Yellow Death has disfigured the population, and soldiers in white-and-red tunics serve the savage Duke of Tviot.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Josefowicz, in her decathlon of a performance, brought Ligeti’s savage discontinuities to the surface.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of savage
Adjective
  • This setup, wherein a group of arbiters hide behind a curtain like the Wizard of Oz and hand down decisions that inflict generational trauma on entire countries, almost feels purposefully built to invite all sorts of wild speculation.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 14 July 2026
  • Great throng to roar out wild welcome as triumphant idol of golfdom returns … Bobby Jones is coming home today.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of wild
Adjective
  • Yet falling behind on payments could result in a vicious cycle of debt, experts say.
    — Stephanie Dhue,Sharon Epperson, CNBC, 14 July 2026
  • As Earth warms, more permafrost melts, releasing even more methane and creating a vicious cycle.
    — Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 13 July 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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Cite this Entry

“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbaric. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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