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
Cathy escapes, the Jimmies' numbers are diminished, and the stomach-churning barbarity finally comes to an end.
—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
16 Jan. 2026
His observations about the barbarity of women’s beauty regimens aren’t exactly new, but they are acted out with enthusiasm and verve.
—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
16 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
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
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
16 Jan. 2026
His observations about the barbarity of women’s beauty regimens aren’t exactly new, but they are acted out with enthusiasm and verve.
—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
16 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
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
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According to the Sheriff’s Office, a judge released Cruz on his own recognizance June 4 following his arraignment on felony animal cruelty charges in Sacramento Superior Court.
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At one point, the narrator, embarrassed by his own act of cruelty, gives a sobbing woman all his money and then leaves her alone in a hotel room.
Noun
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Lee learned much about the systemic oppression that Black Americans faced from his first student, Jesse Glover, who had been a victim of police brutality.
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These early precedents in fictional brutality also weaken Thomson’s next point, about literature’s superiority.
Cite this Entry
“Barbarity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbarity. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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