barbarous
/'bɑ:bərəs/ Cách viết khác : (barbarise) /'bɑ:bəraiz/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Extremely cruel, brutal, or savage: Describes actions, people, or behavior that are shockingly harsh, violent, and lacking in any sense of mercy or civilization.
- Primitive or uncivilized: Pertaining to customs, culture, or societies considered crude, undeveloped, or lacking the refinements of a complex civilization. This usage can be considered offensive or ethnocentric.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The invaders were accused of barbarous acts against the civilian population.
- Many ancient texts describe tribes from beyond the empire as barbarous peoples.
- It was a barbarous punishment that has long been outlawed.
Advanced Usage
- "barbarous cruelty": An intensifying phrase emphasizing extreme brutality.
- The dictator was known for his barbarous cruelty.
- Used in historical or literary contexts to describe practices or eras considered uncivilized by modern or contemporary standards.
- The chronicler wrote of the barbarous customs of the distant land.
Variants and Related Words
- Barbarously (adverb): In a barbarous manner.
- The prisoners were treated barbarously.
- Barbarity (noun): The quality of being barbarous; a barbarous act.
- The barbarity of the war shocked the world.
- Barbarian (noun): A member of a people considered primitive or uncivilized (often historical/pejorative); a person perceived as crude or brutal.
- Barbarism (noun): Absence of culture and civilization; an act or expression considered crude or unacceptable.
Synonyms
- Brutal: Savagely violent.
- Savage: Fierce, violent, and uncontrolled.
- Cruel: Willfully causing pain or suffering.
- Inhumane: Without compassion for misery or suffering.
- Primitive (for the cultural sense): Relating to an early stage of development.
Antonyms
- Civilized: At an advanced stage of social and cultural development.
- Humane: Having or showing compassion or benevolence.
- Gentle: Mild in temperament or behavior.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- While "barbarous" itself is not commonly used in fixed idioms, it is a strong descriptor within phrases like "barbarous treatment" or "barbarous age."
Adjective
- primitive in customs and culture
- (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
- a barbarous crime
- brutal beatings
- cruel tortures
- Stalin's roughshod treatment of the kulaks
- a savage slap
- vicious kicks