adj

barbarous

BAH-buh-ruhs

Barbarous (adj) means Extremely cruel or savage. Example: “The regime was infamous for its barbarous treatment of prisoners.”

adj

Extremely cruel or savage.

"The regime was infamous for its barbarous treatment of prisoners."

Uncivilized or lacking in culture.

"The travelers were shocked by what they saw as the barbarous customs of the region."

How to use barbarous

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishCruel and savage, or uncivilized — very close in meaning to "barbaric."

Easily confused with

barbaric →

more barbarous comparative, most barbarous superlative

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The regime was infamous for its _____ treatment of prisoners.

From Latin barbarus ("foreigner, savage"), from Greek barbaros.

Origin: Latin

brutal savage cruel barbaric uncivilized vicious

bad Christian wild evil vice violent abandoned bloody

yous nous pious joyous heinous ominous curious anxious copious tenuous tedious spurious

What does “barbarous” mean?

The word “barbarous” means extremely cruel or savage. In plain terms, cruel and savage, or uncivilized — very close in meaning to "barbaric.".

How do you pronounce “barbarous”?

“Barbarous” is pronounced BAH-buh-ruhs (/ˈbɑː(ɹ)bəɹəs/ in IPA).

How do you use “barbarous” in a sentence?

Here is “barbarous” used in a sentence: “The regime was infamous for its barbarous treatment of prisoners.”

What part of speech is “barbarous”?

“Barbarous” is an adjective.

Where does the word “barbarous” come from?

The word “barbarous” comes from Latin. From Latin barbarus ("foreigner, savage"), from Greek barbaros.

How many meanings does “barbarous” have?

“Barbarous” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: extremely cruel or savage.

bad Christian wild evil vice violent abandoned bloody