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barbarity

barbarity

6 8.4
Very cruel and violent behavior that hurts people
  • noun
  • /bɑːrˈbærɪti/
: barbarie
  • Beyond Germany, people spoke out against this barbarity but did not fight it with their hands as well as their mouths.
  • civilization and barbarity

But also create enough order to keep us from collapsing into barbarity.

Examples

  • Here, we have firsthand evidence of the barbarity of war.

  • The documentary showed the barbarity of the concentration camps during the war.

  • What we need to do is to put an end to all this barbarity.

  • The British decided that to build such a railway, it would be an act, not of engineering, but of extreme barbarity and cruelty.

  • Their killing of children shows clearly their barbarity, their immorality, their spiritual poverty!

    Blog text (29)
  • All members of the modern world, he cautioned, are vulnerable to violence, barbarity, and the siren appeal of total ideas and final solutions.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Let's avoid reacting with barbarity to barbaric acts.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The barbarities of war... are seldom committed by abnormal men.

  • What makes cruel and unusual punishment uncivil is not only its outward barbarity but also its attack on the principle of equal dignity.

    Academic text (2009)
  • We find tenderness and even delicacy of sentiment greatly predominant over fierceness and barbarity.

    Academic text (1998)

Synonyms

abuse
vsbarbarity
  • NSFW
861 3.2

Harmful treatment of people or animals that happens again and again

is the term for single or general acts of extreme brutality
atrocity
vsbarbarity
137 8.1

A very cruel or violent act that shocks people, often against innocent people

is a broader idea for overall extreme and brutal behaviour
cruelty
vsbarbarity
  • NSFW
128 3.2

Actions that hurt people or animals on purpose

is the term for extremely severe and shocking violent acts
brutality
vsbarbarity
  • Offensive
125 5.6

Very cruel and violent actions that hurt people

is the general label emphasizing extreme and brutal behaviour
torture
vsbarbarity
  • Offensive
109 7.2

Very strong mental or physical pain that is hard to bear

is about violent or shocking acts that cause such intense suffering
savagery
vsbarbarity
  • NSFW
28 7.4

Extreme cruelty or violence that hurts people

is the wider term for shocking and deliberate violent conduct
barbarism
vsbarbarity
14 8.0

A very cruel act that hurts or kills many people

is a broader name for extreme and uncivilised violent acts
inhumanity
vsbarbarity
  • NSFW
12 6.6

Very cruel actions that show no care for other people

is the term for very violent and brutal actions
viciousness
vsbarbarity
9 6.3

Being very cruel and violent toward other people or animals

is a wider term for profoundly violent and brutal conduct
ruthlessness
vsbarbarity
9 7.3

To show no pity or kindness to reach a goal

is broader, describing extreme violent or brutal behaviour itself
inhuman treatment
vsbarbarity
  • Offensive
6 8.3

An act that causes someone great pain and suffering on purpose

is the broader label for such extreme and brutal acts
maltreatment
vsbarbarity
  • NSFW
4 7.0

Cruel treatment that hurts people or animals physically and emotionally

is the term used for very extreme and shocking violent behaviour
ill-treatment
vsbarbarity
  • NSFW
3 6.4

Cruel treatment of a person or animal, often over a long time

is the broader label for extreme and often single brutal acts
cruelness
vsbarbarity
1 4.5

Wanting to hurt or make others suffer

is the more extreme idea highlighting shocking and brutal acts
heinousness
vsbarbarity
  • Formal
1 9.5

The quality of being very evil and cruel that shocks people

focuses more on extreme physical violence than moral judgment
ferociousness
vsbarbarity
1 7.0

Very violent and cruel actions that frighten people

is broader, naming extreme violence even beyond fierce attacks
beastliness
vsbarbarity
1 8.7

Cruel or very mean behavior towards other people

is stronger, focusing on large-scale violent and brutal acts
monstrousness
vsbarbarity
1 7.8

The quality of being very ugly or cruel in a way that shocks people

stresses physical brutality and violent behaviour rather than ugliness
atrociousness
vsbarbarity
1 8.8

Very cruel actions that shock people

uses that shock but as part of extreme violent behaviour
inhumanism
vsbarbarity
  • NSFW
1 9.8

Very cruel treatment that ignores people's feelings and rights

focuses specifically on violent and extreme harmful behaviour
barbarousness
vsbarbarity
1 9.5

A very cruel way of behaving that shows no kindness

is the general concept for very severe and shocking acts
bestial act
vsbarbarity
  • NSFW
1 8.9

A very cruel action that shows no human feeling

is the wider concept covering many such extreme violent actions

Antonyms

344 2.7

A strong feeling of care for someone who is suffering and a wish to help them

24 3.4

Being kind and caring to other people

How Cruel

atrocity
137 8.1
brutality
  • Offensive
125 5.6
barbarity
6 8.4
cruelty
  • NSFW
128 3.2
unkindness
2 4.1

Surface Forms

barbarity singular
barbarities plural

Morphology

barbarity = barbarous (transparent) = barbar + ity

Formally a straightforward nominalization expressing the quality or acts associated with 'barbarous'/'barbaric' using the productive suffix '-ity'.

Etymology

Barbarity comes from an old Greek word barbaros, used for people whose speech sounded like 'bar-bar' and so seemed 'foreign' or 'strange'. Over time barbarian and barbaric came to mean 'uncivilized' or 'cruel', so barbarity now means great cruelty or brutal behaviour.