Skip to main content

barbaricextremely cruel and violent; primitive and uncivilized

Part of speech: ADJECTIVE

Definition: extremely cruel and violent; primitive and uncivilized

Pronunciation (IPA): /bɑːrˈbærɪk/

Example Sentences

  • My roommate's barbaric habit of eating pizza with a fork should be illegal.
  • The barbaric conditions in the old prison were finally exposed by journalists.
  • She considered pineapple on pizza a barbaric crime against Italian cuisine.

barbaric

ADJECTIVE

[/bɑːrˈbærɪk/]

extremely cruel and violent; primitive and uncivilized

The barbaric invaders burned the village library without caring about its history.
💡 Concept

The barbaric invaders burned the village library without caring about its history.

The barbaric invaders showed no mercy to the frightened villagers. (⚔️ Cruel + ❤️ No Mercy → Barbaric)
🧠 Mnemonic

The barbaric invaders showed no mercy to the frightened villagers. (⚔️ Cruel + ❤️ No Mercy → Barbaric)

The barbaric attack united the civic volunteers, whose heroic efforts saved the town.
🎵 Rhyme

The barbaric attack united the civic volunteers, whose heroic efforts saved the town.

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/bɑːrˈbærɪk/
🇬🇧 UK/bɑːˈbærɪk/

🌳Etymology

Rootbarbar
Suffix--ic

Origin

The word derives from Ancient Greek barbaros, which originated from the onomatopoetic imitation 'bar bar'—the sound Greeks perceived in foreign languages they did not understand. Greeks used this term to describe foreigners and uncivilized people, reflecting their view of non-Greek speakers as unintelligible outsiders.

Breakdown

barbaros (Greek: foreigner, barbarian) + -ic (suffix forming adjectives). The root barbaros itself stems from the imitative sound 'bar bar' used to mock incomprehensible foreign speech.

🎵Rhyme

barbaricbarbarous
barbaric
barbarous

🔗Collocations

barbaric act
barbaric treatment
barbaric custom
barbaric practice
barbaric punishment

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

My roommate's barbaric habit of eating pizza with a fork should be illegal.

The barbaric conditions in the old prison were finally exposed by journalists.

😄 Fun example

She considered pineapple on pizza a barbaric crime against Italian cuisine.

The documentary revealed the barbaric hunting practices of the past century.

📚Related Words

Synonyms

savagebrutalcruelprimitiveuncivilized

Antonyms

civilizedrefinedhumane

Related

barbarianbarbarismbarbarousbrutality

Want to master 19,000+ words?

Sign up free for flashcards & quizzes.