as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
more than one reluctant dental patient has been tempted to level the charge of barbarity against their dentist
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Recent Examples of barbarity
Angle was just too good, too fast, and too pre-equipped to allow Lesnar to gain a real advantage, meaning that Lesnar had to rely on his powerhouse barbarity to come out on top.
—
Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
Putin’s quasi-genocidal barbarities in Ukraine and Xi’s industrial-scale repression in Xinjiang threaten to restore a world of autocratic impunity and rampant atrocity.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Although lynchings have steadily increased in number and barbarity during the last twenty years, there has been no single effort put forth by the many moral and philanthropic forces of the country to put a stop to this wholesale slaughter.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 21 Feb. 2025
The massacre was celebrated in Western capitals, with protests erupting in support of Hamas’s barbarity.
—William C. Daroff, Sun Sentinel, 11 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for barbarity
Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
Putin’s quasi-genocidal barbarities in Ukraine and Xi’s industrial-scale repression in Xinjiang threaten to restore a world of autocratic impunity and rampant atrocity.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Although lynchings have steadily increased in number and barbarity during the last twenty years, there has been no single effort put forth by the many moral and philanthropic forces of the country to put a stop to this wholesale slaughter.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 21 Feb. 2025
The massacre was celebrated in Western capitals, with protests erupting in support of Hamas’s barbarity.
—William C. Daroff, Sun Sentinel, 11 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for barbarity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarity
Noun
-
The new law adds to existing municipal ordinances that forbid animal cruelty or neglect, including leaving a pet in too small of a space or outside in the hot Florida sun.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
3 July 2025
-
The record got its name from a title track that comes mid-album, a plucky, haunting Americana song that explores the ties between love and cruelty.—
Audrey Gibbs,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
Kenya’s biggest cities have been roiled for days by protesters demonstrating against stagnating growth, soaring inequality, and police brutality.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
11 July 2025
-
The entire world needs to stand up and condemn the severe incident, which again reveals the brutality of Hamas.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
6 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barbarity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarity. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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