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
The most criminal and barbaric ‘migrant horde’ to invade America was from Europe.
—
Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2025
Is the 'barbaric' method making a comeback?
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
The German occupiers, however, acted with barbaric brutality, exterminating local Jewish populations and starving to death approximately two million Soviet prisoners of war by March 1942.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
If Russia instead suffers economically, the invasion will be seen as a self-defeating, barbaric blunder.
—Andrew Kosenko, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2025
Is the 'barbaric' method making a comeback?
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
The German occupiers, however, acted with barbaric brutality, exterminating local Jewish populations and starving to death approximately two million Soviet prisoners of war by March 1942.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
If Russia instead suffers economically, the invasion will be seen as a self-defeating, barbaric blunder.
—Andrew Kosenko, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric
Adjective
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This high school student completed a brutal swim across New Zealand's 13.67-mile Cook Strait 02:16 CNN — Maya Merhige eventually stopped counting her jellyfish stings, such was the frequency with which they were getting scorched against her skin.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
30 Apr. 2025
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Domestic overcapacity and brutal internal competition have already pushed Chinese firms to expand abroad in search of profit margins.—
Zongyuan Zoe Liu,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In contrast, East Asia witnessed a 300-year period of peace between the 1590s and 1894, broken only by defensive engagements against barbarian incursions and five fairly small two-state wars.—
Michael Mann,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Feb. 2012
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Based on the best-selling comic book series, the fantasy follows barbarian huntress Red Sonja, who must unite a group of unlikely warriors to face off against the evil tyrant Emperor Draygan and his deadly bride, Dark Annisia.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But Church, who was profoundly affected by the 2023 Covenant school shooting in Nashville, imbues a real fear of what’s possibly around the corner in today’s cruel world.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
2 May 2025
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Milano’s extensive medical history sometimes feels too cruel to detail; his only full season came as a rookie in 2017.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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Be Courtesy To Other Shoppers To a Southerner, manners are top of mind, so pushing, shoving, and being rude over buying things doesn’t jive with a genteel way of life.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2025
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The same employee, who Shea said was also rude to her, answered and told her the company was closed.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
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As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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Niemann, a grandmaster, beat Carlsen in an upset in a 2022 match, leading Carlsen to withdraw from the tournament and setting off wild speculation about whether Niemann could have cheated, though no such allegations were ever proven.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
27 Apr. 2025
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This ferocious, steep-banked corner possesses a wild 24% gradient, a nod to Spain’s bullfighting heritage.—
Kanzah Maktoum,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Sandhagen dispatched Edgar with a vicious flying knee 28 seconds into that bout.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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With two hits, one hit-by-pitch and zero outs recorded, Williams then left the mound to a vicious chorus of boos as Aaron Boone summoned Mark Leiter Jr. — not Weaver — from the bullpen.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The barbarous relic has glittered amidst the financial carnage.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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How does Reed manage to revisit some of the world’s most barbarous acts without succumbing to despair?—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
9 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbaric. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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