as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
more than one reluctant dental patient has been tempted to level the charge of barbarity against their dentist
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Recent Examples of barbarity
Under such regimes, the state uses indiscriminate barbarity to instill constant terror in the population.
—
Elizabeth Tsurkov, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
Pritam’s Partition writings offer incisive critiques of the barbarity that became life with borders but also contest notions of belonging from a feminist perspective.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Amid all the barbarity for barbarity’s sake, Jonsson carries the film with a deep well of unspoken regret.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2025
Netanyahu is the excuse for staying silent about Israeli barbarity in Palestine.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarity
Elizabeth Tsurkov, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
Pritam’s Partition writings offer incisive critiques of the barbarity that became life with borders but also contest notions of belonging from a feminist perspective.
—JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025
Amid all the barbarity for barbarity’s sake, Jonsson carries the film with a deep well of unspoken regret.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 12 Sep. 2025
Netanyahu is the excuse for staying silent about Israeli barbarity in Palestine.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barbarity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbarity
Noun
-
The post-liberals stand for cruelty and inanity, but Brooks can’t admit to standing for much of anything at all.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In an era of near continuous cruelty by the administration, the imprisonment of the boy and his father attracted massive media and political attention and eventually saw both released on February 1.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Good Friday is a day to recognize the brutality of the Roman practice of crucifying criminals and to reflect with sincerity on the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for the world.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
All are committed to the principles of the 1979 revolution and will rule with greater brutality given their lack of legitimacy.—
Abigail Williams,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barbarity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarity. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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