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
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The driver was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of DUI and two counts of willful cruelty to a child.—
Cathie Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
12 Aug. 2025
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Norwalk police on April 22 arrested her on one count of animal cruelty, records show.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The spectacle was carried out with breathtaking emptiness, revealing American values while glorifying Putin’s brutality.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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The city has previously denied using tows to make money and has denied claims that Furman was engaged in police brutality, noting he was investigated by Michigan State Police in one incident but cleared.—
Tresa Baldas,
Freep.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barbarity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarity. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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