as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
more than one reluctant dental patient has been tempted to level the charge of barbarity against their dentist
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Recent Examples of barbarity
The Geneva Conventions, international treaties that aim to limit the barbarities of war, stipulate that those unable to take part in hostilities must be protected.
—
Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Dec. 2025
Pritam’s Partition writings offer incisive critiques of the barbarity that became life with borders but also contest notions of belonging from a feminist perspective.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Amid all the barbarity for barbarity’s sake, Jonsson carries the film with a deep well of unspoken regret.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2025
Netanyahu is the excuse for staying silent about Israeli barbarity in Palestine.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarity
Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Dec. 2025
Pritam’s Partition writings offer incisive critiques of the barbarity that became life with borders but also contest notions of belonging from a feminist perspective.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Amid all the barbarity for barbarity’s sake, Jonsson carries the film with a deep well of unspoken regret.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2025
Netanyahu is the excuse for staying silent about Israeli barbarity in Palestine.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarity
Noun
-
The post-liberals stand for cruelty and inanity, but Brooks can’t admit to standing for much of anything at all.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In an era of near continuous cruelty by the administration, the imprisonment of the boy and his father attracted massive media and political attention and eventually saw both released on February 1.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
During the May 2020 George Floyd demonstration, protesters in downtown Los Angeles briefly shut down portions of the 101 Freeway after entering near Alameda Street, temporarily halting traffic to draw attention to the killing of Floyd and broader concerns about police brutality.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Mihankhah spent roughly 15 years trying to raise awareness about the brutalities of the Iranian government.—
Alexandria Burris,
IndyStar,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barbarity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarity. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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