barbarous

IPA/ˈbɑːbərəs/
KK[bˈɑrbɚəs]IPA/ˈbɑːrbərəs/

barbarous — adjective

  • barbarouspositive
  • more barbarouscomparative
  • most barbaroussuperlative

1. very cruel and violent in a way that shocks people, or showing no education, goo

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

very cruel and violent in a way that shocks people, or showing no education, good manners, or the kind of culture expected in modern society.

Example

The warlord's barbarous attack on the farming village left fifty families homeless.

collocation: barbarous attack

Abigail's grandfather insisted that eating with one's elbows on the table was a barbarous habit.

describes a social custom as unacceptable

Common collocations
  • barbarous act
  • barbarous attack
  • barbarous treatment
  • barbarous violence
  • barbarous behaviour
  • barbarous custom
  • barbarous practice
  • barbarous conditions
Synonyms
  • cruel

    more common, everyday word; focuses on causing pain without the 'uncivilised' connotation

  • savage

    similar range of meaning (both cruel and primitive), but more informal and emotionally stronger

  • brutal

    focuses on physical violence and harshness; lacks the 'lacking culture' sense

  • uncivilized

    emphasises the lack of culture/refinement rather than cruelty

Antonyms
  • civilized

    opposite of both cruelty and lack of culture

  • humane

    opposite of cruelty specifically; shows kindness and compassion

Grammar Patterns

barbarous + noun (act, attack, behaviour, treatment, custom)

linking verb + barbarous (seem barbarous, find something barbarous)

Usage Note

More common in written or formal English than in casual conversation. Unlike 'cruel', which focuses only on causing pain, 'barbarous' also carries a sense of being uncivilised or lacking refinement. Context determines whether the cruelty sense or the uncultured sense is primary.

Common Mistakes

The dictator's barbaric actions shocked the world.' (when meaning uncultured/lack of refinement)
The dictator's barbarous actions shocked the world.
'Barbaric' is more common for cruelty; 'barbarous' can also mean lacking culture or refinement, especially in formal writing.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Cruel is the most general word of this group — it describes any deliberate infliction of pain without the historical or cultural overtones of barbarous. Savage overlaps closely with barbarous in both cruelty and primitiveness, but savage is more emotionally charged and common in everyday speech. Brutal focuses on physical harshness and violence (brutal force, brutal winter) and lacks the 'uncultured' dimension entirely. Uncivilised is the mildest of the four — it describes a lack of polite refinement rather than active cruelty. For example, eating with your hands may be called uncivilised but not brutal; a mass murder is brutal or savage but calling it uncivilised would sound too weak.

cruel ↗savage ↗brutal ↗uncivilized ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • barbarously

Phrases

  • barbarous and cruel
  • barbarous and inhuman

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

From Latin barbarus ('foreign, uncivilised'), borrowed from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (barbaros, 'foreign, ignorant'). The Greeks used the word to describe anyone who did not speak Greek, imitating the sound of foreign languages as 'bar-bar' — speech that sounded like meaningless noise. This sense of 'foreign' gradually shifted toward 'uncivilised' and then 'cruel'.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a