BARBAROUS Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'barbarous' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of barbarous are cruel , ferocious , fierce , and savage . While all these words mean "showing fury or malignity in looks or actions," barbarous implies a ferocity or mercilessness regarded as unworthy of civilized people. // barbarous treatment of prisoners

Q: When might 'cruel' be a better fit than 'barbarous'?

The words cruel and barbarous can be used in similar contexts, but cruel implies indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it. // the cruel jokes of schoolboys

Q: When is 'ferocious' a more appropriate choice than 'barbarous'?

In some situations, the words ferocious and barbarous are roughly equivalent. However, ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality. // a ferocious dog

Q: When is it sensible to use 'fierce' instead of 'barbarous'?

While in some cases nearly identical to barbarous , fierce applies to humans and animals that inspire terror because of their wild and menacing aspect or fury in attack. // fierce warriors

Q: When can 'savage' be used instead of 'barbarous'?

The words savage and barbarous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, savage implies the absence of inhibitions restraining civilized people filled with rage, lust, or other violent passion. // a savage criminal

barbarous

adjective

ˈbär-b(ə-)rəs

Definition of barbarous next

as in brutal

having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others a monarch resorting to whatever barbarous means he deemed necessary to protect his throne

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in barbarian

not civilized an aunt who abhors barbarous behavior such as eating with your fingers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word barbarous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of barbarous are cruel, ferocious, fierce, and savage. While all these words mean "showing fury or malignity in looks or actions," barbarous implies a ferocity or mercilessness regarded as unworthy of civilized people.

barbarous treatment of prisoners

When might cruel be a better fit than barbarous?

The words cruel and barbarous can be used in similar contexts, but cruel implies indifference to suffering and even positive pleasure in inflicting it.

the cruel jokes of schoolboys

When is ferocious a more appropriate choice than barbarous?

In some situations, the words ferocious and barbarous are roughly equivalent. However, ferocious implies extreme fierceness and unrestrained violence and brutality.

a ferocious dog

When is it sensible to use fierce instead of barbarous?

While in some cases nearly identical to barbarous, fierce applies to humans and animals that inspire terror because of their wild and menacing aspect or fury in attack.

fierce warriors

When can savage be used instead of barbarous?

The words savage and barbarous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, savage implies the absence of inhibitions restraining civilized people filled with rage, lust, or other violent passion.

a savage criminal

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of barbarous The cruelty of Haitian gang leaders is not in dispute, nor is the widespread killing in the country during a yearslong political crisis, but the false claims about widespread cannibalism go much further in trying to paint the whole Caribbean nation as barbarous. —

David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024 Putin’s barbarous invasion has generated a wave of outrage across the world. —

Janice Gross Stein, Foreign Affairs, 9 Mar. 2022 Supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia’s barbarous invasion is an investment in both the future of Ukraine and that of the West. —

James P. Moore Jr., Fortune Europe, 22 Feb. 2024 In contrast to Spanish intellectuals who looked north for the wellsprings of civilization, Infante characterized Europe as a barbarous colonizer. —

Robyn Creswell, The New York Review of Books, 7 Oct. 2021 See all Example Sentences for barbarous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarous

Adjective

The occasional injury is unavoidable in a tournament where the intensity is this high, but that doesn’t make the outcome any less brutal for Theodore and the Golden Knights. 4.

— Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
Though the claims of uniquely brutal violence are mostly anecdotal, their shocking nature has become the cornerstone of such groups' outreach to Western leaders.

— Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025