barbarity — extreme cruelty or brutality
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: extreme cruelty or brutality
Pronunciation (IPA): /bɑːrˈbærəti/
Example Sentences
- The movie's barbarity was so intense that half the audience left the theater.
- My gym trainer's barbarity makes medieval torture look like a spa treatment.
- The barbarity of making students take exams on Monday morning should be illegal.
barbarity
NOUN[/bɑːrˈbærəti/]
extreme cruelty or brutality
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Ancient Greek 'barbaros' (barbarian, foreign, savage), which originated from the Greek onomatopoeia 'bar-bar'—the sound Greeks perceived foreign languages to make. Greeks used this term dismissively for non-Greek speakers whose speech sounded like mere babbling rather than intelligible language.
Breakdown
Greek 'barbaros' (foreign, savage, non-Greek) + Latin suffix '-ity' (state, quality, condition), forming the abstract noun denoting the state or quality of being barbarous or uncivilized.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The movie's barbarity was so intense that half the audience left the theater.”
“My gym trainer's barbarity makes medieval torture look like a spa treatment.”
“The barbarity of making students take exams on Monday morning should be illegal.”
“Human rights organizations work tirelessly to expose acts of barbarity around the world.”
📚Related Words
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