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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 barbarity
The Geneva Conventions, international treaties that aim to limit the barbarities of war, stipulate that those unable to take part in hostilities must be protected.
—
Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Dec. 2025
Pritam’s Partition writings offer incisive critiques of the barbarity that became life with borders but also contest notions of belonging from a feminist perspective.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Amid all the barbarity for barbarity’s sake, Jonsson carries the film with a deep well of unspoken regret.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2025
Netanyahu is the excuse for staying silent about Israeli barbarity in Palestine.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarity
Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Dec. 2025
Pritam’s Partition writings offer incisive critiques of the barbarity that became life with borders but also contest notions of belonging from a feminist perspective.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Amid all the barbarity for barbarity’s sake, Jonsson carries the film with a deep well of unspoken regret.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2025
Netanyahu is the excuse for staying silent about Israeli barbarity in Palestine.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarity
Noun
-
Observing human behavior confirms that for some among us, the perfidious lust for unbridled power and the imposition of cruelty in its quest know no bounds and are bereft of human decency.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
An animal cruelty investigation involving two dogs has ignited outrage on social media, after photos revealed the pets were tethered and abandoned during Charlotte’s weekend snow storm.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Critics, meanwhile, brought up police brutality, citing the killing of George Floyd, the video of which spurred national outrage.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Outside the home are the brutalities and horrors of war and the aftermath of war and of life under the Taliban’s first regime; inside are the brutalities and horrors of domestic violence at the hands of Rasheed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barbarity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarity. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
