Synonym Chooser

How is the word barbarous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of barbarous are cruel, ferocious, fierce, and savage. While all these words mean "showing fury or malignity in looks or actions," barbarous implies a ferocity or mercilessness regarded as unworthy of civilized people.

barbarous treatment of prisoners

When might cruel be a better fit than barbarous?

The words cruel and barbarous can be used in similar contexts, but cruel implies indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it.

the cruel jokes of schoolboys

When is ferocious a more appropriate choice than barbarous?

In some situations, the words ferocious and barbarous are roughly equivalent. However, ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality.

a ferocious dog

When is it sensible to use fierce instead of barbarous?

While in some cases nearly identical to barbarous, fierce applies to humans and animals that inspire terror because of their wild and menacing aspect or fury in attack.

fierce warriors

When can savage be used instead of barbarous?

The words savage and barbarous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, savage implies the absence of inhibitions restraining civilized people filled with rage, lust, or other violent passion.

a savage criminal

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of barbarous Netanyahu has voiced that idea repeatedly, both before and after the Hamas attack on October 7 — the idea that Israel is a bastion of Western civilization in an uncivilized, backward, and barbarous region. Vox Staff, Vox, 9 May 2024 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 See All Example Sentences for barbarous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarous
Adjective
  • And often times that can yield lead to some brutal consequences.
    Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Even without snow, the drop in temperature alone can be brutal.
    Elizabeth Medeiros, Health, 22 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
  • In Season 2, a cruel winter brings new challenges and unfinished business to Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara (Helen Mirren) back at Dutton ranch.
    Katie Campione, Deadline, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Michael, in a filmed conversation with Grace, claimed that his ex-wife had manipulated him and was cruel to Natalia.
    Fortesa Latifi, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Shift The Focus To Collaboration Sometimes, rude colleagues act out of insecurity or stress.
    Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 17 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Barbarous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarous. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

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