barbaric Hear it!

barbaric Definition

bar·baric (bär berik)

adjective

  1. of, like, or characteristic of barbarians; uncivilized; primitive
  2. wild, crude, and unrestrained

Etymology: ME barbarik < L barbaricus < Gr barbarikos: see barbarous

barbaric Related Forms

bar·bari·cally adverb

barbaric Synonyms

barbaric

modif.

  1. Primitive

    uncivilized, wild, crude, unrestrained; see barbarian 1, primitive 3.

  2. Cruel

    inhuman, brutal, fierce, barbarous; see cruel 1. See syn. study at barbarian.

barbaric Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • cruelty: There was never any excuse for such barbaric cruelty, especially by institutions which purported to be the sole arbiters of morality.
  • punishment: So the first decade ended with what today many would call a barbaric punishment.
  • act: Can Islamic law or the Qur'an be used to justify barbaric acts?
  • murder: Barbaric murder is barbaric murder, I don't care where you grew up.
  • regime: We will not be held to blackmail by a barbaric regime.
  • attack: Our hearts and our prayers go out to the British people and everyone who suffered loss in this barbaric attack.

Modifying Another Word

  • so: We are so barbaric here that we execute the mentally retarded people.
  • very: Our country is still very backward, still very barbaric.
  • particularly: It is particularly barbaric to allow turkeys with chronic leg disorders to be hung upside down by their legs for a full six minutes.
  • even: It's brutal, even barbaric, yet one can't help watching it with some sort of appreciative grin.
  • truly: Interesting to note that one contributor believes that nine more years and we'll turn into a truly barbaric country.
  • pretty: Beside, it's pretty barbaric really, isn't it?

Used with adjective complement

  • sound: I don't want to sound barbaric, but let me tell you, it is stimulating.
  • seem: While the last option seems barbaric, that's exactly what some parents do when their child's life is in danger.
  • consider: In the minds of many people the concept of running for your life is a very powerful image and is considered barbaric.
  • describe: The Medieval people of the Middle Ages were warlike, they have even been described as barbaric.