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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barbaric
The president and his defenders say barbaric treatment is necessary to combat a pervasive gang problem in the country.
—
Greg Dixon, NPR, 25 Mar. 2025
The most criminal and barbaric ‘migrant horde’ to invade America was from Europe.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2025
The barbaric treatment Rahaf endured seems unimaginable to those of us in the West, particularly in America.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Orange County Register, 14 Mar. 2025
South Carolina firing squad: Is the 'barbaric' method making a comeback?
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Greg Dixon, NPR, 25 Mar. 2025
The most criminal and barbaric ‘migrant horde’ to invade America was from Europe.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2025
The barbaric treatment Rahaf endured seems unimaginable to those of us in the West, particularly in America.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Orange County Register, 14 Mar. 2025
South Carolina firing squad: Is the 'barbaric' method making a comeback?
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric
Adjective
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Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway fared better than the S & P 500 in a brutal week as investors embraced the safety of a cash-rich conglomerate while President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs wreaked havoc on Wall Street.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2025
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The game's official website promises a variety of Prospectors to play as, with assets showing what looks like a brutal four-armed brawler and an insectoid-looking alien that can turn invisible.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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What's particularly cruel about that reality is that after years of dealing with questions about his weight, the former Duke Blue Devil star played a career-high 70 games in 2023-24.—
Bobby Krivitsky,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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Here, Munir may be vaccinating chickens rather than grabbing them on their way to slaughter, but the work is just as thankless and cruel.—
Bartolomeo Sala,
The Dial,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The incident sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some criticizing Wallen’s actions on the show as rude.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
30 Mar. 2025
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This, experts say, is a punctuation choice that can make messages appear uncertain or vague, which confuses recipients and sometimes comes off as passive aggressive and rude.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
28 Mar. 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
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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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Starliner’s flight to the space station was far wilder than most of us thought 2.—
Kevin Purdy,
ArsTechnica,
3 Apr. 2025
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In his second start, Clay Holmes was effectively wild, holding the Marlins to two runs (one earned) over 4 2/3 innings.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Softened by pride, Amber slinks away herself, albeit much more cutely than Gregory and accompanied by a vicious side-eye.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
3 Apr. 2025
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The Kansas City Glory’s season opener was set to begin on Saturday afternoon, but viral sensation Elena Easley was sitting on the field, experiencing a vicious headache.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Experts told PolitiFact such narratives painting Haiti as a barbarous country are not new and are racist attempts to dehumanize Haitians.—
Jeff Cercone,
Austin American-Statesman,
14 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbaric. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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