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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Everybody else has no choice, really, other than to bring a cruel, narcissistic far-right leader to power.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2025
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Jokes that didn’t land with the squad The kids in Bad Influence say the pranks were the most cruel.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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My question: Was there any way to have prevented this rude woman from stealing away all of my guests? GENTLE READER: Counter-questions: Did the boss and his wife drop the guests off before the emergency furniture move?—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2025
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Really, any movie exceeding 100 minutes in this genre is just plain rude.—
Jordan Crucchiola,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 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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Wildlife officials later identified the animal as a marbled cat, a mysterious wild cat rarely seen on trail cameras or in-person.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2025
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Sure enough, it’s filled with campy setpieces and wild gore that plays well to an audience looking for a wild time.—
William Earl,
Variety,
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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Mikal, Tonya and Jason are vicious, screaming and hurling vile truths at one another.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
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 16 Apr. 2025.
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