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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barbarian
not civilized
the barbaric forebears of modern mankind
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Recent Examples of barbaric
Yet his statements, once again, fail to mention the hostages and fail to mention Hamas, whose barbaric actions on October 7 2023, triggered this war.
—
Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
In Song of myself, Walt Whitman describes it as the barbaric yawp, which is just this guttural expression of emotion.
—Outside Online, 9 Apr. 2025
Firing squad execution: Is the 'barbaric' method making a comeback?
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025
The most criminal and barbaric ‘migrant horde’ to invade America was from Europe.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
In Song of myself, Walt Whitman describes it as the barbaric yawp, which is just this guttural expression of emotion.
—Outside Online, 9 Apr. 2025
Firing squad execution: Is the 'barbaric' method making a comeback?
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025
The most criminal and barbaric ‘migrant horde’ to invade America was from Europe.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbaric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbaric
Adjective
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Lori survives the brutal events of prom night, but not without a fight.—
Jane LaCroix,
People.com,
24 May 2025
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Would a Venezuelan contestant who rolled off her log need to use her airline miles when forcibly flown to the waiting arms of Maduro’s brutal regime?—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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In contrast, East Asia witnessed a 300-year period of peace between the 1590s and 1894, broken only by defensive engagements against barbarian incursions and five fairly small two-state wars.—
Michael Mann,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Feb. 2012
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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
Adjective
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The reason Evin is infamous is because of its terribly cruel high security detention centers that are poorly supervised by the Prison Chief.—
Jeff Kaufman,
Time,
30 May 2025
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But then perhaps that is her unsatisfying but depressingly undeniable point: there is no challenging minds this small, behaviors this cruel, spirits this mean.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Hintz, meanwhile, got a rude welcome back early in Game 4 when Evan Bouchard slashed him right in the same area that Darnell Nurse injured him in Game 2.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
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And in the case of fully autonomous EVs, it might be considered rude to expect human passengers to get out and cable a robotaxi to a supercharger for a quick top up on the way to the airport.—
Paul Ridden
May 23,
New Atlas,
23 May 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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This was still wild country, and Fuller set off with the express purpose of producing a book about her journey.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
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About 90% of wild flowering plants and 75% of food crops around the world depend on pollination to produce fruits and seeds, according to the National Park Service.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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The original 2006 film, which was adapted from Lauren Weisberger’s book of the same name, starred Meryl Streep as the powerful Miranda Priestley, Anne Hathaway as fashion newbie Andy Sachs, Emily Blunt as vicious assistant Emily and Stanley Tucci as Miranda’s right hand man Nigel.—
Rachel McRady,
People.com,
23 May 2025
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Wolves are vicious and intelligent group hunters, but dogs and thunderstorms famously do not mix.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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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
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The barbarous relic has glittered amidst the financial carnage.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbaric. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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