1
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
a barbaric dictator who tortured his own people with no qualms
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarian
not civilized
the barbaric forebears of modern mankind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barbaric
The October 7 massacre was not merely an act of barbaric terrorism.
—
Ami Ayalon, Foreign Affairs, 5 Aug. 2025
At least that hideous and barbaric thing occurred before the book came out.
—Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 31 July 2025
This change was the product of three attacks: Hamas’s barbaric invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, and Iran’s direct missile and drone attacks ...
—Elliott Abrams, National Review, 24 July 2025
In contrast, Tolkien imagined elves as elegant and refined, while humans had the capacity to be as barbaric as orcs, or as noble as elves.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Ami Ayalon, Foreign Affairs, 5 Aug. 2025
At least that hideous and barbaric thing occurred before the book came out.
—Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 31 July 2025
This change was the product of three attacks: Hamas’s barbaric invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, and Iran’s direct missile and drone attacks ...
—Elliott Abrams, National Review, 24 July 2025
In contrast, Tolkien imagined elves as elegant and refined, while humans had the capacity to be as barbaric as orcs, or as noble as elves.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric
Adjective
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After being relegated to the bench as his season spirals out of control, shortstop Anthony Volpe returned to the lineup against the Washington Nationals, only for his issues at the plate to reach a brutal new low.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Aug. 2025
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Friends can lie, colleagues can backstab, anyone can die in any number of brutal ways.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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The economy will not thrive on backward, barbarian technologies and our babies will suffer from the burden of debt, bad air and blackouts.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
As Wallace and Gromit investigate this mysterious thief, their paths cross with the cruel, trigger-happy Lord Victor Quartermaine (Ralph Fiennes), who has his own ambitions for the competition and Wallace’s love interest, Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter).—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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Auggie isn’t a cruel, withholding bigot, but a stable and loving parent.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Fox News host Dana Perino, a former White House press secretary, called out how rude the governor’s messages tended to be.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
24 Aug. 2025
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The Russian military faced a rude surprise on Ukrainian battlefields in part because in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, professionalism is secondary to politics.—
David French,
Mercury News,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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The only damage that appeared on the bones were bite marks, likely from wild animals.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
26 Aug. 2025
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In the new wild west of College Football 2025 Longhorn coaches and their general manager are using all the riches of the school to keep more of the best talent in Texas at home and reach across the country to grab five-star talent like linebacker Tyler Atkinson from the state of Georgia.—
Tim Genske,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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That the show is a food-star factory is not exactly in the spirit of the bake-offs that inspired it, which were vicious routs among just-above-average home bakers, for almost no measurable reward.—
Ruby Tandoh,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
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The unique stipulation is the direct result of King's recent, vicious actions against his rival, Myles Borne.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Wednesday night’s barbarous shooting of two Israeli Embassy employees — gunned down, shot in the back allegedly by a pro-Palestinian activist while leaving a peace event at the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. — is more than a mere workaday atrocity.—
Jeffrey Blehar,
National Review,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbaric. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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