barbarous

adjective
UK: /ˈbɑː.bər.əs/
US: /ˈbɑːr.bɚ.əs/

  1. Extremely cruel or brutal; without any kindness or sympathy.

    1. The barbarous king killed anyone who disagreed with him. [ ] [ ]
    2. His barbarous treatment of the prisoners shocked even the hardened guards. [ ] [ ]

  2. Very rude or offensive; not polite or socially acceptable.

    1. It was barbarous to interrupt her speech like that. [ ] [ ]
    2. The barbarous joke was in bad taste, especially given the circumstances. [ ] [ ]

  3. Uncivilized or primitive; lacking culture or refinement.

    1. They lived in barbarous conditions with no running water. [ ] [ ]
    2. Some viewed the ancient rituals as barbarous practices, but they were important. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

brutal uncivilized inhuman primitive savage rude ruthless offensive cruel

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "barbarous" in English means: Extremely cruel or brutal; without any kindness or sympathy., Very rude or offensive; not polite or socially acceptable., Uncivilized or primitive; lacking culture or refinement..

The phonetic transcription of "barbarous" is /ˈbɑː.bər.əs/ in British English and /ˈbɑːr.bɚ.əs/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "barbarous": brutal, uncivilized, inhuman, primitive, savage, rude, ruthless, offensive, cruel.

Example usage of "barbarous": "The barbarous king killed anyone who disagreed with him.". More examples on the page.