barbarous

UK: /ˈbɑː^rbərəs/ US: /ˈbɑrbərəs/ ,(bär′bər əs)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

bar•ba•rous /ˈbɑrbərəs/   adj. 

1. not civilized;
   wild.
2. savage;
   cruel.

bar•ba•rous•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bar•ba•rous  (bär′bər əs), adj. 

1. uncivilized;
   wild;
   savage;
   crude.
2. savagely cruel or harsh:
   The prisoners of war were given barbarous treatment.
3. full of harsh sounds;
   noisy;
   discordant:
   an evening of wild and barbarous music.
4. not conforming to classical standards or accepted usage, as language.
5. foreign;
   alien.
6. Ancient History (among ancient Greeks) designating a person or thing of non-Greek origin.

• Greek bárbaros non-Greek, foreign, barbarian; akin to Sanskrit barbara stammering, non-Aryan; see -ous
• Latin barbarus
• late Middle English 1400–50

bar′ba•rous•ly, adv. 
bar′ba•rous•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. See barbarian. 
• 2. ferocious, inhuman, brutal.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

barbarous / ˈbɑːbərəs/ adjective

1. uncivilized; primitive
2. brutal or cruel
3. lacking refinement

Etymology: 15th Century: via Latin from Greek barbaros barbarian, non-Greek, in origin imitative of incomprehensible speech; compare Sanskrit barbara stammering, non-Aryan

ˈbarbarously adverb

ˈbarbarousness noun