barbarian
5
7.6
- adjective
- /bɑrˈbɛriən/
- Offensive
:
bárbaro
- Woolf claims these barbarian ideals are not merely mistaken; they have their roots in irrationality.
This is the behavior of of barbarian jihadis bent on genocide.
- This is the behavior of of barbarian jihadis bent on genocide.
- And as barbarian leaders go, Clovis and his sons were not so bad.
- And she has to hire this woman, big barbarian, muscular woman to help her.
- So you might have worlds in which you have the blonde haired blue eyed barbarian boy, but you don't have but it's not strictly.
Examples
-
My barbarian friend has come far from his youthful days roaming the tundra.
Fiction book (1992) -
Many ancient civilizations viewed the barbarian tribes as uncultured and primitive.
-
You are a good man, my barbarian friend.
Fiction book (1991) -
Who are the barbarian kings?
-
The Roman traitor or the barbarian hero.
-
Tell me of your last campaign in these barbarian forests.
-
I will try to explain it to them in their barbarian tongue.
-
My barbarian friend, let's open a barrel and try to save each other's souls.
-
After his appointment, Lin began to study European culture, looking for clues to barbarian behavior.
Academic text (1993) -
Zhao Pu pointed out in his memorial to Song Taizong that wise rulers in ancient times had not interfered in barbarian affairs and had placed them outside Chinese civilization.
Academic text (2018)
Synonyms
61
6.3
Extremely cruel and violent with no respect for people
16
5.9
Showing little social or cultural development and often acting rude and violent
5
8.4
Not having modern culture or polite ways
3
8.1
Behaving in a rude, rough way without care for others
1
9.9
Having very old-fashioned rude attitudes that reject modern social ideas
A society that has little culture or social development
Not having the customs, laws, or arts of a developed society
Antonyms
Compounds
- Literature
A strong, rough warrior from an ancient society who is the main character in stories
How Refined
Surface Forms
Morphology
barbarian = barbar + ian
Formed from a non‑productive borrowed root 'barbar' plus the suffix '-ian'; the base is not a recognizable English word, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from components.
Etymology
Barbarian as an adjective comes from Greek barbaros, again from the imitated sound bar-bar of foreign voices, and it is the same root behind English barbaric. So calling customs or behaviour barbarian means they seem 'uncivilized' or lacking the culture of the speaker.