as in savage
not civilized
people who were regarded as barbarian by the ancient Romans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in primitive
an uncivilized person
the invading Germanic tribes were viewed as barbarians by the citizens of ancient Rome
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 barbarian
Foreign Affairs, 5 June 2015
Yet the real struggle between red and blue bears little resemblance to the flamboyant melodrama narrated by partisans, in which each side fights to defend humanity against a barbarian horde.
—Matthew Karp, Harper's Magazine, 2 Oct. 2024
Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
Las Casas thought that the real barbarians weren’t the Indians but the Spaniards.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarian
Adjective
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, 5 June 2015
Yet the real struggle between red and blue bears little resemblance to the flamboyant melodrama narrated by partisans, in which each side fights to defend humanity against a barbarian horde.
—Matthew Karp, Harper's Magazine, 2 Oct. 2024
Noun
These barbarians are now in the sole custody of El Salvador, a proud and sovereign Nation, and their future is up to President B and his Government.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
Las Casas thought that the real barbarians weren’t the Indians but the Spaniards.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarian
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
Burlington Antique Show Browse more than 200 dealers of antiques, vintage jewelry, primitives, garden and architectural elements, mid-century collectibles, memorabilia, Americana and retro/vintage furniture at this monthly outdoor antique market.—
Luann Gibbs,
The Enquirer,
14 Aug. 2024
-
It can be used to achieve a lot of other cryptographic primitives.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
1 Aug. 2024
Adjective
-
Most commenters support the original poster, writing that the aunt and uncle are the rude people in this situation.—
Sabrina Weiss,
People.com,
10 July 2025
-
Stand up to anyone who bullies you, and call people out who are rude or behaving badly.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
But when 5,000 Trevally fight back, the hunters become the hunted in one of the ocean’s wildest showdowns.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
-
Robert reached with one out in the fifth, legging out the infield single and taking second on a wild throw.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
20 July 2025
Adjective
-
This change was the product of three attacks: Hamas’s barbaric invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, and Iran’s direct missile and drone attacks ...—
Elliott Abrams,
National Review,
24 July 2025
-
In contrast, Tolkien imagined elves as elegant and refined, while humans had the capacity to be as barbaric as orcs, or as noble as elves.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Adjective
-
In the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, a man dressed as a cop shot two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, killing the DFL speaker of the House and her husband in a barbarous (and politically motivated) atrocity.—
Jeffrey Blehar,
National Review,
14 June 2025
-
Wednesday night’s barbarous shooting of two Israeli Embassy employees — gunned down, shot in the back allegedly by a pro-Palestinian activist while leaving a peace event at the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. — is more than a mere workaday atrocity.—
Jeffrey Blehar,
National Review,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
Under the Omanis, Zanzibar grew rich selling spices, ivory, and slaves, mostly non-Muslims from the interior, whom the island’s élites derided as washenzi, or uncivilized.—
Julian Lucas,
The New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2022
-
Forcing a woman to choose between jail and carrying her rapist's baby is uncivilized and medieval.—
CNN,
CNN,
27 June 2022
Cite this Entry
“Barbarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarian. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share