Synonym Chooser

How is the word barbarous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of barbarous are cruel, ferocious, fierce, and savage. While all these words mean "showing fury or malignity in looks or actions," barbarous implies a ferocity or mercilessness regarded as unworthy of civilized people.

barbarous treatment of prisoners

When might cruel be a better fit than barbarous?

The words cruel and barbarous can be used in similar contexts, but cruel implies indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it.

the cruel jokes of schoolboys

When is ferocious a more appropriate choice than barbarous?

In some situations, the words ferocious and barbarous are roughly equivalent. However, ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality.

a ferocious dog

When is it sensible to use fierce instead of barbarous?

While in some cases nearly identical to barbarous, fierce applies to humans and animals that inspire terror because of their wild and menacing aspect or fury in attack.

fierce warriors

When can savage be used instead of barbarous?

The words savage and barbarous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, savage implies the absence of inhibitions restraining civilized people filled with rage, lust, or other violent passion.

a savage criminal

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 barbarous Any slip-up or act of insubordination, no matter how small, results in immediate death from the barbarous SS members running the camp. Josh Weiss, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025 Experts told PolitiFact such narratives painting Haiti as a barbarous country are not new and are racist attempts to dehumanize Haitians. Jeff Cercone, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Sep. 2024 Treating barbarous body horror as something embedded in us deeper than the mutual love of a partner, especially when it’s done without the theatrical or exploitation trappings, makes for one of the New French Extremity’s most troubling works. Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024 How does Reed manage to revisit some of the world’s most barbarous acts without succumbing to despair? K.j. Yossman, Variety, 9 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for barbarous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarous
Adjective
  • The mini tubs are portable, mess-free, and endlessly useful, especially on long flights where dry cabin air can be brutal.
    Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2025
  • The Eastern Conference is wide open after the brutal injuries to both Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton during the playoffs, and now the Knicks are saddled with the expectations of excellence.
    Tom Rende, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Built on the site of an ancient Roman fortress that protected the empire from barbarian invasion, the castle was constructed between the 11th and 14th centuries.
    CNN.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 June 2025
Adjective
  • Politics remains a cruel business and the governor has been on the frontline of it for nearly 20 years, winning and losing.
    Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2025
  • They were joined by actors playing the contestants, who lurched along wearing expressions of exaggerated horror, as though the cruel stakes of the game had just been revealed to them.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2025
Adjective
  • Nearly one in four Gen Z professionals viewed the thumbs-up as rude or hostile.
    Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
  • Mowing during a neighbor’s party is considered rude because the noise disrupts conversation and spoils the relaxed mood.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2022
  • As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.
    Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
  • Fortune Feimster partnered with Johnsonville, the popular sausage brand, for a wild Fourth of July bash at Summerfest in Milwaukee.
    Toria Sheffield, People.com, 8 July 2025
  • Best Nordstrom Anniversary Sale accessory deals Some pretty wild things are going on over in the accessories department, where high-summer necessities like city bags and sleek sunglasses are up to 45% off.
    Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 8 July 2025
Adjective
  • Stanton, demonstrating that there’s still plenty of power in his vicious swing, sent the pitch 401 feet the other way at 106.1 mph.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 9 July 2025
  • The author presents a vicious takedown of George Washington.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
Adjective
  • Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.
    Joseph J. Kolb, Fox News, 18 July 2017
  • Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.
    OregonLive.com, OregonLive.com, 12 July 2017

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Cite this Entry

“Barbarous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarous. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.

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