barbarism
noun
bar·ba·rism
ˈbär-bə-ˌri-zəm 
1
a
: a barbarian or barbarous social or intellectual condition : backwardness
b
: the practice or display of barbarian acts, attitudes, or ideas
2
: an idea, act, or expression that in form or use offends against contemporary standards of good taste or acceptability
Examples of barbarism in a Sentence
The barbarism of his dictatorship cannot be ignored.
Such barbarisms cannot be tolerated.
Recent Examples on the Web
Wars, miseries, climate change, misogyny — our barbarism’s demons give us no respite.
—
Rachel Handler, Vulture, 13 May 2025
Meanwhile, Oviedo and Sepúlveda’s claims that Indians were inferior were echoed in the pronouncements of any number of U.S. Presidents, who argued that the country’s expansion across the continent was justified by Indian or Mexican barbarism.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025
Making matters worse, the group was vehemently anti-Shia and exhibited barbarism rarely seen in modern times.
—Ariane M. Tabatabai, Foreign Affairs, 4 July 2017
In repeatedly claiming that Kurdish terrorists were morally equivalent to ISIS, for example, Erdogan appeared troublingly blind to ISIS’ exceptional barbarism.
—Nick Danforth, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2015
See All Example Sentences for barbarism
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Rachel Handler, Vulture, 13 May 2025
Meanwhile, Oviedo and Sepúlveda’s claims that Indians were inferior were echoed in the pronouncements of any number of U.S. Presidents, who argued that the country’s expansion across the continent was justified by Indian or Mexican barbarism.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025
Making matters worse, the group was vehemently anti-Shia and exhibited barbarism rarely seen in modern times.
—Ariane M. Tabatabai, Foreign Affairs, 4 July 2017
In repeatedly claiming that Kurdish terrorists were morally equivalent to ISIS, for example, Erdogan appeared troublingly blind to ISIS’ exceptional barbarism.
—Nick Danforth, Foreign Affairs, 9 Dec. 2015
See All Example Sentences for barbarism
Cite this Entry
“Barbarism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barbarism. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
barbarism
noun
bar·ba·rism
ˈbär-bə-ˌriz-əm
: the state, ideas, or behavior of a barbarian
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