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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarian
not civilized
the barbaric forebears of modern mankind
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Recent Examples of barbaric
The German occupiers, however, acted with barbaric brutality, exterminating local Jewish populations and starving to death approximately two million Soviet prisoners of war by March 1942.
—
Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
If Russia instead suffers economically, the invasion will be seen as a self-defeating, barbaric blunder.
—Andrew Kosenko, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2025
Auschwitz consisted of three separate camps: Auschwitz I, built on former military barracks, housed the infamous Block 10, where Nazi scientists conducted barbaric medical experiments.
—Natalia Romik / Madę By History, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025
On that day, I was attacked while defending the Capitol against invasion by thousands in a barbaric mob of rioters incited by Trump.
—Aquilino Gonell, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
If Russia instead suffers economically, the invasion will be seen as a self-defeating, barbaric blunder.
—Andrew Kosenko, Foreign Affairs, 5 Feb. 2025
Auschwitz consisted of three separate camps: Auschwitz I, built on former military barracks, housed the infamous Block 10, where Nazi scientists conducted barbaric medical experiments.
—Natalia Romik / Madę By History, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025
On that day, I was attacked while defending the Capitol against invasion by thousands in a barbaric mob of rioters incited by Trump.
—Aquilino Gonell, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric
Adjective
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And often times that can yield lead to some brutal consequences.—
Jeryl Brunner,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Even without snow, the drop in temperature alone can be brutal.—
Elizabeth Medeiros,
Health,
22 Mar. 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 move garnered mixed reactions, with many calling out Brown for his rude tone and choice of words.—
Jessica Bennett,
VIBE.com,
18 Mar. 2025
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Shift The Focus To Collaboration Sometimes, rude colleagues act out of insecurity or stress.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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New Zealand winemakers have experimented with different styles of Sauvignon Blanc, including oak aging, barrel fermentation, and wild/natural fermentation, among other things, providing a broader range of styles to meet diverse consumer preferences.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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Night 2 also offered a fresh addendum to an existing favorite piece of animation: their signature skeleton’s wild chopper ride.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This creates a vicious cycle: more applications lead to lower acceptance rates, triggering even more applications from worried students.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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However, some people develop unhelpful habits and ways of thinking about sleep that create a vicious cycle, said Krieger, who is also director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN,
19 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 3 Apr. 2025.
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