barbarous adj. + Add to list US //ˈbɑɹbɝəs// UK //bˈɑːbæɹəs// bar·barous SynonymsEtymology Synonyms brutalcruelfellroughshodsavageviciousOriginGRKβάρβαρος→LATbarbarus→ME-→ENbarbarous Late Middle English, from Latin barbarus (“foreigner, savage”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “foreign, strange”).