ENGLISH
REFERENCE

barbaric

adj.
C1 Advanced US //bɑɹˈbæɹɪk// UK //bɑːbˈæɹɪk// bar·bar·ic

adj. extremely cruel or violent in a way that seems uncivilized. You use it to describe actions that show no respect for human feelings or rights.

adj. characterised by extreme cruelty or a lack of cultural refinement. Often used to describe historical practices or modern acts of violence that violate contemporary ethical standards.


SIMPLE

The treatment of the prisoners was absolutely barbaric.

CONTEXTUAL

Many modern societies view the practice of public execution as a barbaric relic of the past.

COMPLEX

The historian argued that while the invaders were often described as barbaric, their legal systems were actually more sophisticated than those of the empires they conquered.

Synonyms
Origin

Inherited from Middle English barbarik, from Old French barbarique (“barbarous”), from Latin barbaricus, from Ancient Greek βαρβαρικός (barbarikós, “barbaric, savage, fierce”), from βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “barbarian”) + -ικός (-ikós, adjective suffix). See βάρβαρος (bárbaros) for more.

Usage

Typically used as a gradable adjective; often follows linking verbs like 'be', 'seem', or 'become'.

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