as in philistinism
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 barbarism
The space between simple awareness and true understanding is narrow but chasmic — small enough to walk around but deep enough to contain so much of the worst barbarism this world has ever produced.
—
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2026
The West promises an alternative to the barbarism of Bucha; its liberal variant emerged not so much against Russia as through pained efforts to create European unity in the shadow of Nazi Germany and under the threat of Soviet expansion.
—John Connelly, The New York Review of Books, 18 Dec. 2025
Similar analyses, whether from Simone Weil or Aimé Césaire, ought to have discouraged a relaxed conscience among the victors of the Second World War and opened up a broader inquiry into the barbarism inherent in political and economic modernity.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
The storied choice between socialism and barbarism was made exquisitely clear a good many years ago in the United States, and both major parties chose barbarism.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarism
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2026
The West promises an alternative to the barbarism of Bucha; its liberal variant emerged not so much against Russia as through pained efforts to create European unity in the shadow of Nazi Germany and under the threat of Soviet expansion.
—John Connelly, The New York Review of Books, 18 Dec. 2025
Similar analyses, whether from Simone Weil or Aimé Césaire, ought to have discouraged a relaxed conscience among the victors of the Second World War and opened up a broader inquiry into the barbarism inherent in political and economic modernity.
—Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
The storied choice between socialism and barbarism was made exquisitely clear a good many years ago in the United States, and both major parties chose barbarism.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarism
Noun
-
Despite such official philistinism, Proust had already left an enduring mark on Irish letters and would remain a source of literary inspiration for the nation’s writers into the twenty-first century.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
They were not allowed to use their logo — a cricket bat — which is crucial in a country that has a high illiteracy rate.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The pattern is so consistent across the centuries that ignoring this requires a willful act of historical illiteracy.—
Anthony Scaramucci,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
While some of the women who came here willingly embraced ISIS ideology and passed it on to their children, many others say they were trafficked or lured to the region through ignorance or under false pretenses.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Hence the social contract on which proto-citizens situated behind the veil of ignorance would agree, arranges social and economic inequalities in such a manner as to make the worst off as well off as possible; economic policies would benefit the well-being of the least advantaged.—
George G. Szpiro,
Big Think,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barbarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarism. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
