adjective
barbarous
BAR-buh-rus/ˈbɑːrbərəs/
Considered uncivilized in behavior or feeling.
The adult's barbarous behavior destroys the shocked child's sandcastle.
Etymology
Latin barbarus linked foreignness with perceived lack of culture. English first used barbarous for being uncivilized or uncultured, then extended that judgment to savage cruelty.
In context
young and old male and female Jew and Gentile murdered without comp compunction by a barbarous Nazi tyranny
More examples
- She denounced the punishment as barbarous.
- The old account described neighboring peoples as barbarous.
- They rejected the belief that unfamiliar customs were necessarily barbarous.
Similar words
- cruel
- Focuses directly on causing suffering.
- uncivilized
- May judge manners or customs without implying violent cruelty.