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
Words nearby barbarous
barbarity,
barbarize,
barbarossa,
barbarossa i,
barbarossa ii,
barbarous,
barbary,
barbary ape,
barbary coast,
barbary coast wars,
barbary fig
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, nounWord Origin for barbarous
C15: via Latin from Greek
barbaros barbarian, non-Greek, in origin imitative of incomprehensible speech; compare Sanskrit
barbara stammering, non-Aryan