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Barbarous

 - 2 dictionary results

bar⋅ba⋅rous

  [bahr-ber-uhs]
Use Barbarous in a Sentence
–adjective
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. (among ancient Greeks) designating a person or thing of non-Greek origin.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME < L barbarus < Gk bárbaros non-Greek, foreign, barbarian; akin to Skt barbara stammering, non-Aryan; see -ous

Related forms:
bar⋅ba⋅rous⋅ly, adverb
bar⋅ba⋅rous⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. See barbarian. 2. ferocious, inhuman, brutal.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Barbarous
bar·ba·rous   (bär'bər-əs)   
adj.  

  1. Primitive in culture and customs; uncivilized.

  2. Lacking refinement or culture; coarse.

  3. Characterized by savagery; very cruel. See Synonyms at cruel.

  4. Marked by the use or occurrence of barbarisms in spoken or written language.


[From Latin barbarus, from Greek barbaros, non-Greek, foreign; see barbarism.]
bar'ba·rous·ly adv., bar'ba·rous·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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