barbaric
adjective
bar·bar·ic
bär-ˈber-ik 
-ˈba-rik
1
a
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a group of people who are alien to another land, culture, or people and who are usually believed to be inferior : of, relating to, or characteristic of barbarians
b
: possessing or characteristic of a cultural level more complex than primitive (see primitive entry 1 sense 2c) culture but less sophisticated than advanced civilization (see civilization sense 1a)
2
a
: marked by a lack of restraint : wild
a barbaric use of color
b
: having a bizarre, primitive, or unsophisticated quality
… I sound my barbaric yawp …—
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitmanthe tangled, loose barbaric magnificence of the Elizabethan drama—Think
Think3
: barbarous sense 3
barbaric crimes
Examples of barbaric in a Sentence
Barbaric tribes invaded the area.
His table manners are barbaric.
They considered the custom barbaric.
The treatment of the prisoners was positively barbaric.
Recent Examples on the Web
Beyond Joel and Abby, questions of justice and vengeance emerge around a conflict between two militant groups (one led by Jeffrey Wright’s enigmatic Isaac Dixon) who do barbaric things to one another, though the aims of each side and the origins of their war remain murky.
—Judy Berman, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
Criminality is high, and barbaric forms of homicide can only be explained by a certain moral insensibility.
—Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025
The violence was a show of solidarity with Hamas in the wake of its barbaric Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 23 Mar. 2025
All told, in an Israel already shattered by the events of Oct. 7 and a region mired in chaotic change, fatigued by what feels like unrelenting and completely pointless war—the barbaric kidnapping and murder of two innocent brothers could transform the region in unexpected ways.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
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Judy Berman, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
Criminality is high, and barbaric forms of homicide can only be explained by a certain moral insensibility.
—Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025
The violence was a show of solidarity with Hamas in the wake of its barbaric Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 23 Mar. 2025
All told, in an Israel already shattered by the events of Oct. 7 and a region mired in chaotic change, fatigued by what feels like unrelenting and completely pointless war—the barbaric kidnapping and murder of two innocent brothers could transform the region in unexpected ways.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Cite this Entry
“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barbaric. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
barbaric
adjective
bar·bar·ic
bär-ˈbar-ik
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of barbarians
2
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