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
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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
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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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Passing a child who is unprepared may be the cruelest act of all.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
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This is your news to share or not share; posting about this on Facebook strikes me as cruel.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
20 June 2026
Adjective
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It’s widely considered rude and annoying when people cluster by the train doors if there are more people on the platform attempting to get on.—
Claudia Fisher,
Travel + Leisure,
15 June 2026
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Many of these terms were meant as insults and were – and remain today – tremendously rude, but others reflect the bewilderment of trying to categorize people who don’t fit into standard categories easily.—
Ky Merkley,
The Conversation,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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For my microgeneration, the disillusionment crept in with the savage failure of the Iraq War.—
Christopher Hooks,
Harpers Magazine,
23 June 2026
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Set in the fictional lands of Westeros, House of the Dragon depicts a savage succession struggle within House Targaryen and a resulting civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 June 2026
Adjective
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The new iteration sees The Cat in the Hat, voiced by Bill Hader, fighting for his job as a professional mischief-maker brought in to cheer up lackluster children after his wild antics go to far.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
22 June 2026
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Situated in western Canada’s Alberta province, a tapestry of the Rocky Mountains serves as the backdrop across this wild frontier of limestone giants and ancient glaciers.—
Kristin Braswell,
USA Today,
22 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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These few extra channels—combined with some sounds ripped from an expansion for the MSX, another 8-bit console—were enough to transcend the Game Boy’s original limitations while still evoking the handheld system’s primitive beauty.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
23 June 2026
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Likewise, primitive asteroidal bodies are somewhat like fossilized remnants of the building blocks of the solar system's planets, including Earth.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barbarous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarous. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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