barbarous

[ bahr-ber-uhs ]
/ ˈbɑr bər əs /

adjective

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

Origin of barbarous

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

synonym study for barbarous

1. See barbarian.

OTHER WORDS FROM barbarous

Example sentences from the Web for barbarous

British Dictionary definitions for barbarous

barbarous
/ (ˈbɑːbərəs) /

adjective

uncivilized; primitive
brutal or cruel
lacking refinement

Derived forms of barbarous

barbarously, adverb barbarousness, noun

Word Origin for barbarous

C15: via Latin from Greek barbaros barbarian, non-Greek, in origin imitative of incomprehensible speech; compare Sanskrit barbara stammering, non-Aryan