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
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
Russian forces appear not to have targeted the evacuation effort over the past three days, according to locals and rescuers, a rare moment of respite from the daily barbaric drone strikes on civilians across the city of recent months.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
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
Russian forces appear not to have targeted the evacuation effort over the past three days, according to locals and rescuers, a rare moment of respite from the daily barbaric drone strikes on civilians across the city of recent months.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric
Adjective
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Marvell had a brutal start to the year, in part due to worries about its custom chip business, but shares have been creeping up lately.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
25 Sep. 2025
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The Dallas Cowboys are fresh off of a brutal blowout loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 3.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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The economy will not thrive on backward, barbarian technologies and our babies will suffer from the burden of debt, bad air and blackouts.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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In a cruel exercise, each kid is provided with a pack of basic supplies and made to hike 50 miles through the wilderness to the top of Mount Otis.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
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Community leader Araya Amsalu, who helped coordinate a vigil following the shooting, said knowing Eden had gone to law enforcement about Ericksen before made the shooting feel even more cruel.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Israel’s attacks on Iran in the summer, followed by its shocking attack on Doha, have been received by the UAE as rude repayment for that kindness.—
Monica Marks,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
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Getty Images Soccer fans’ looking to buy tickets for next year’s World Cup got a rude surprise when prices were announced.—
Richard McGahey,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023, and took more than 250 hostages in a savage attack.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
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Hamas are a bunch of savage animals.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But with Raleigh guiding the patchwork staff and carrying the lineup, the Mariners held a wild-card spot at the All-Star break and stood five games back in the division.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Since 1975, many, many have embraced this wild and wonderful confection that's part campy musical, part horror and all midnight movie.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Over eight episodes, the brothers find themselves at the mercy of Mancuso — a former family friend — and his vicious henchmen, and they are forced to confront the emotional scars of growing up with an alcoholic father, who had gambled away his own restaurant.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Sep. 2025
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That vicious cycle spins in states such as California, Illinois, and Texas.—
Jeffrey Selingo,
New Yorker,
19 Sep. 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 29 Sep. 2025.
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