barbarism
noun
bar·ba·rism
ˈbär-bə-ˌri-zəm 
1
a
: a barbarian or barbarous social or intellectual condition : backwardness
b
: the practice or display of barbarian acts, attitudes, or ideas
2
: an idea, act, or expression that in form or use offends against contemporary standards of good taste or acceptability
Examples of barbarism in a Sentence
The barbarism of his dictatorship cannot be ignored.
Such barbarisms cannot be tolerated.
Recent Examples on the Web
Decades of Palestinian barbarism have eroded the pity reserves of a majority of the Israeli people.
—
Uri Kurlianchik, National Review, 25 Feb. 2025
For instance, the surprising details of Liat’s capture fly in the face of the tales of barbarism the subjects have been told.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025
As Shakespeare keenly understood, when the individual is allowed to trounce the collective, the result isn’t freedom but barbarism.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025
The journalists traveled to Haiti to show the grim extent of the devastation and barbarism wrought by the gang warfare that has sown chaos in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
—Katie Robertson, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarism
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Uri Kurlianchik, National Review, 25 Feb. 2025
For instance, the surprising details of Liat’s capture fly in the face of the tales of barbarism the subjects have been told.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025
As Shakespeare keenly understood, when the individual is allowed to trounce the collective, the result isn’t freedom but barbarism.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025
The journalists traveled to Haiti to show the grim extent of the devastation and barbarism wrought by the gang warfare that has sown chaos in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
—Katie Robertson, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarism
Cite this Entry
“Barbarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barbarism. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
barbarism
noun
bar·ba·rism
ˈbär-bə-ˌriz-əm
: the state, ideas, or behavior of a barbarian
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