Barbarous Definition

bärbər-əs
adjective
Primitive or undeveloped in culture and customs; uncivilized.
American Heritage
Foreign or alien; in the ancient world, non-Greek, non-Roman, or non-Christian.
Webster's New World
Lacking refinement or culture; coarse.
Inappropriate, barbarous behavior.
American Heritage
Characteristic of barbarians; primitive or lacking in civilization.
Webster's New World
Characterized by savagery; very cruel.
A barbarous punishment; a barbarous tyrant.
American Heritage

Origin of Barbarous

  • From Latin barbarus (“foreigner, savage”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (barbaros, “foreign, strange”).

    From Wiktionary

  • From Latin barbarus from Greek barbaros non-Greek, foreign barbarism

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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