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
The cruelty of Haitian gang leaders is not in dispute, nor is the widespread killing in the country during a yearslong political crisis, but the false claims about widespread cannibalism go much further in trying to paint the whole Caribbean nation as barbarous.
—
David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
Putin’s barbarous invasion has generated a wave of outrage across the world.
—Janice Gross Stein, Foreign Affairs, 9 Mar. 2022
Supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia’s barbarous invasion is an investment in both the future of Ukraine and that of the West.
—James P. Moore Jr., Fortune Europe, 22 Feb. 2024
In contrast to Spanish intellectuals who looked north for the wellsprings of civilization, Infante characterized Europe as a barbarous colonizer.
—Robyn Creswell, The New York Review of Books, 7 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for barbarous
David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
Putin’s barbarous invasion has generated a wave of outrage across the world.
—Janice Gross Stein, Foreign Affairs, 9 Mar. 2022
Supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia’s barbarous invasion is an investment in both the future of Ukraine and that of the West.
—James P. Moore Jr., Fortune Europe, 22 Feb. 2024
In contrast to Spanish intellectuals who looked north for the wellsprings of civilization, Infante characterized Europe as a barbarous colonizer.
—Robyn Creswell, The New York Review of Books, 7 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for barbarous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarous
Adjective
-
England’s Champions Trophy campaign finally came to a brutal end when they were beaten by South Africa in Karachi by seven wickets with almost 21 overs to spare.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
-
The free chow was served daily, except on Fridays, and continued through a brutal period of industrywide cost-cutting that persists to this day.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Based on the best-selling comic book series, the fantasy follows barbarian huntress Red Sonja, who must unite a group of unlikely warriors to face off against the evil tyrant Emperor Draygan and his deadly bride, Dark Annisia.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2025
-
So, some earlier, some later, but right around the time that the Greeks were talking about these people and excited about their barbarian lifestyle, archaeologists were finding the graves of these people.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
5 June 2015
Adjective
-
Immigration advocates call the crackdown cruel and wrongheaded and warn that many Latino U.S. citizens will likely suffer violations of their civil rights and possibly even get mistakenly deported.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2025
-
As mere surrogates, the Trump-DeSantis fight to outdo each other through mean and cruel policies will go on.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Anti-Tesla sentiment is at an all-time high, whether expressed through rude bumper stickers and peaceful protest or vandalism and arson, in part because Musk has continually stoked tension with his far-right politics.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
7 Mar. 2025
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At the time, Pearce called out a rude fan while performing at WE Fest in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
Fox News,
7 Mar. 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
-
Summit even took Billboard on a run in Miami, explaining that given his wild schedule, exercise keeps him sane.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
10 Mar. 2025
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When the site was functioning, Musk made sure to spread a wild conspiracy theory about a fire at a Tesla lot in Seattle late Sunday night that damaged several Cybertrucks.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
More than 80 women went public with horrific tales of his brutal, coercive and punishing tactics, including launching vicious, career-crippling smear campaigns against those who eluded him, from Mira Sorvino to Ashley Judd.—
Scott Huver,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Feb. 2025
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Rushdie has since spoken out about the stabbing Rushdie, 77, testified in the Chautauqua County, New York trial and detailed the vicious attack that upended his life.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
21 Feb. 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
Cite this Entry
“Barbarous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarous. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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