barbarism

/ˈbɑːbərɪzəm/ (bre, ipa) · [bˈɑrbɚˌɪzəm] /ˈbɑːrbərɪzəm/ (ame, ipa) · [bˈɑrbɚˌɪzəm] /ˈbär-bə-ˌri-zəm How to pronounce barbarism (audio)/ (ame, mw)

barbarism — noun

1. behaviour that is shockingly cruel and shows no basic human decency

1.名詞C1
釋義

behaviour that is shockingly cruel and shows no basic human decency

例句

Mira called the bombing of the hospital an act of barbarism.

an act of barbarism: one cruel deed

Photos from the prison showed such barbarism that Owen could not sleep.

同義詞
  • cruelty

    broader and more common; barbarism sounds more shocking and morally extreme

  • brutality

    stresses violent force and merciless treatment more strongly than cruelty

  • savagery

    suggests wild, inhuman cruelty and often carries a more dramatic tone

反義詞
  • humanity

    humane treatment and respect for other people

  • compassion

    active concern for another person's suffering

文法句型

an act of barbarism

barbarism by + [person/group]

用法筆記

Usually uncountable when it refers to cruel behaviour in general. Use "an act of barbarism" for one shocking deed; distinguish from sense 2, which describes the decline of a whole society.

常見錯誤

❌The attack was a barbarism.
✅The attack was barbaric.' / 'The attack was an act of barbarism.
💡'Barbarism' is a noun, so it cannot follow 'was' without a countable noun phrase.

2. a condition where education and culture have collapsed, leaving a society coarse

2.名詞C2
釋義

a condition where education and culture have collapsed, leaving a society coarse and backward

例句

Professor Lin warned that closing girls' schools would push the country into barbarism.

into barbarism: decline in culture and learning

To Yael, the empty library and broken statues marked a return to barbarism.

同義詞
  • backwardness

    focuses on lack of development rather than moral shock

  • ignorance

    emphasizes lack of knowledge in people, not the whole social condition

  • savagery

    can overlap, but usually sounds more emotional and tied to violent behaviour than this sense

反義詞

文法句型

slide into barbarism

return to barbarism

用法筆記

Often appears after "into", "toward", or "back to" when a society is losing education and culture. Unlike sense 1, it does not focus on one violent event.

常見錯誤

❌The country returned to a barbarism after the schools closed.
✅The country returned to barbarism after the schools closed.
💡This abstract sense is usually uncountable and normally appears without 'a'.