1
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
a monarch resorting to whatever barbarous means he deemed necessary to protect his throne
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarian
not civilized
an aunt who abhors barbarous behavior such as eating with your fingers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barbarous
Lies told by people who are simply too afraid to look at such an ugly, barbarous reality.
—
Clare Malone, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
In the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, a man dressed as a cop shot two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, killing the DFL speaker of the House and her husband in a barbarous (and politically motivated) atrocity.
—Jeffrey Blehar, National Review, 14 June 2025
The barbarous relic has glittered amidst the financial carnage.
—Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for barbarous
Clare Malone, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
In the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, a man dressed as a cop shot two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, killing the DFL speaker of the House and her husband in a barbarous (and politically motivated) atrocity.
—Jeffrey Blehar, National Review, 14 June 2025
The barbarous relic has glittered amidst the financial carnage.
—Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for barbarous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarous
Adjective
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His first strikeout was part of a brutal sequence.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
-
The injury is obviously a brutal blow to Canada's starting 11.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Adjective
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For the design of the barbarian figure, Sweet reached out to Mark Taylor, an artist and designer at Mattel.—
Sanat Pai RaikarAll,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
4 May 2026
-
When the Western Roman Empire fell in the fifth century C.E., Europe was plunged into chaos as barbarian Germanic forces advanced south—or so the story goes.—
Emma Gometz,
Scientific American,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Still, the simple story — written by Jordan Tannahill, who adapted his own book, and directed by Janicza Bravo — illustrates various destructive choices and cruel actions ostensibly driven by love.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
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Here is the part that feels especially cruel.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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That seems a pretty rude thing to write in the newspaper.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
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Brock isn’t being rude — far from it.—
Rachel Brodsky,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Harron slyly transforms it into a savage social satire, using the narrator’s unreliable point of view to borderline absurdist effect.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
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What begins as a desperate family bonding trip rapidly devolves into savage violence and brutal psychological warfare.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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Though the Guardians have a share of first place with the White Sox and a three-game cushion over the Athletics in wild-card positioning, the club is about to weather some significant time without José Ramírez or Chase DeLauter.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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Rosenthal and other salary cap critics point out that wild spending is no guarantee of success, and many clubs operating on a shoestring, like the Milwaukee Brewers, have found ways to win consistently.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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The story follows vicious ex-con, Max Cady (Bardem) and his revenge plot against married couple Tom (Patrick Wilson) and Anna Bowden (Adams).—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
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Mahmic’s vicious goal in traffic salvaged some good feeling before a decisive showdown with Qatar next week.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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But the primitive areas of our brains still have connections from when our ancestors relied on smell to survive.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
16 June 2026
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In another story, set in the far future, a scientist who had disappeared decades earlier reappears in an emergency shuttle, claiming to have been saved by a technologically primitive alien race.—
Alexandra Oliva,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barbarous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarous. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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