barbaric
/bɑ:'bærik/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Extremely cruel, brutal, or primitive; characteristic of a barbarian: Describes actions, customs, or behaviors that are considered savage, uncivilized, or inhumane by modern or civilized standards.
- Extravagantly ornate, unrestrained, or crude in a way that is considered tasteless: Describes something, often in art or decoration, that is excessively elaborate or rich in a crude, unrefined manner.
Usage Examples
- Describing cruel or primitive behavior:
- The barbaric treatment of prisoners was condemned by human rights organizations.
- Many ancient cultures had practices that seem barbaric to us today.
- Describing crude or unrestrained extravagance:
- The palace's barbaric decor, covered in gold and jewels, was overwhelming.
- Critics described the artist's later work as barbaric in its use of clashing colors.
Advanced Usage
- "barbaric act/custom/practice": A specific action or tradition considered savage.
- The abolition of that barbaric custom was a major step forward for the society.
- Used in a hyperbolic or figurative sense to express strong disapproval of something considered crude or uncivilized in a modern context.
- His table manners are absolutely barbaric!
Variants and Related Words
- Barbarian (noun): A member of a community or tribe not belonging to one of the great civilizations (Greek, Roman, Christian); a person perceived as primitive or uncivilized.
- Barbarism (noun): Extreme cruelty or brutality; an uncivilized or primitive state.
- Barbarity (noun): Savage cruelty or extremely brutal behavior.
- Barbarously (adverb): In a savage, cruel, or uncivilized manner.
Synonyms
- Savage: Fierce, violent, and uncontrolled; primitive and uncivilized.
- Brutal: Savagely violent; punishingly hard or uncomfortable.
- Cruel: Willfully causing pain or suffering to others.
- Primitive: Relating to an early stage of development; very basic or unsophisticated.
- Uncivilized: Not socially, culturally, or morally advanced.
Antonyms
- Civilized: At an advanced stage of social and cultural development; polite and well-mannered.
- Humane: Having or showing compassion or benevolence.
- Refined: Elegant and cultured in appearance, manner, or taste.
- Sophisticated: Developed to a high degree of complexity; having worldly experience and taste.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Barbaric yawp: A phrase from Walt Whitman's poetry, sometimes used to refer to a loud, unrestrained, or primitive shout or expression.
- The poet's work was a barbaric yawp against the constraints of traditional form.
Adjective
- unrestrained and crudely rich
- barbaric use of color or ornament
- without civilizing influences
- barbarian invaders
- barbaric practices
- a savage people
- fighting is crude and uncivilized especially if the weapons are efficient-Margaret Meade
- wild tribes