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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarian
not civilized
an aunt who abhors barbarous behavior such as eating with your fingers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 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
-
Nichols, 64, was sentenced to death for the brutal beating and rape of 20-year-old Karen Pulley.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Bianchi and the others were marched up the peninsula to POW camps in the north under brutal conditions in a 65-mile trek infamously known as the Bataan Death March.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
11 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
As a benevolent barbarian warrior in the mythical land of Hyrkania, Sonja is enslaved and imprisoned by the ecocidal emperor known as Draygan (Robert Sheehan).—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Bailey plays half-elf ranger Vex, O’Brien is her twin brother Vax, Willingham is the lovable barbarian Grog, Johnson is the holy gnome cleric Pike, Jaffe is the royal gunslinger Percy, Ray is magical half-elf druid Keyleth and Riegel is the raunchy gnome bard Scanlan.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
But nothing would have prepared him for this — the death of a beloved first-team player, and in such arbitrary, cruel circumstances.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
6 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
-
Leave the situation without worrying about seeming rude.—
Taylor Haught,
Miami Herald,
6 Dec. 2025
-
While Afrofuturism shares in the Black utopian ideal, the Black utopic ultimately exceeds it because of its rude demand for the possibilities of the here and now.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
What begins as a desperate family bonding trip rapidly devolves into savage violence and brutal psychological warfare.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
3 June 2026
-
Their twiggy legs and bony frames exposed in bathing suits, the kids do indeed look extra vulnerable within the film’s savage landscape.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
Threading the needle On June 15, the Twins were 36-35, just a half-game out of the AL’s third wild-card spot.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
There are more than 20,000 UFC fans on the Ellipse of the White House, and nearly all of them went wild when Diego Lopes took down Steve Garcia in the second round of the first fight.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Beyond that coincidence, Coleman grew to appreciate Alexander as a multi-sport star – a standout hurdler in track and a tough defender/vicious dunker in basketball.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
9 Dec. 2025
-
Takahashi’s story delights in throwing more and more wrenches in the works with a growing cast of chaotic supporting characters (like the vicious Shampoo and the blowhard Tatewaki Kuno), and the anime adapts their antics as pastel-toned slapstick.—
Kambole Campbell,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Through the use of backlighting, their silhouettes will be thrown onto the facing walls to form a shadow sculpture evoking primitive graffiti or a hieroglyphic-like language.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barbarous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarous. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
