barbarian

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /bɑːrˈbɛriən/ UK /bɑːˈbeəriən/ See IPA manual

noun adj

Meanings

1

noun
an uncivilized or savage person; brutish

The historians described the invaders as barbarian hordes.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an uncivilized or savage... savage brute heathen boor philistine vandal

Opposites

civilized cultivated refined

Word family

Derived forms barbarianism

Related forms barbaric barbarous barbarity barbarism

Etymology

From Latin barbarus, from Ancient Greek barbaros ('foreign, non-Greek'), imitative of unintelligible foreign speech heard as 'bar-bar'.

barbarus Latin barbaros Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

# barbarian

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** bɑːrˈbɛriən
**IPA (UK):** bɑːˈbeəriən

## Meanings
1. an uncivilized or savage person; brutish

## Examples
- The historians described the invaders as barbarian hordes.

## Synonyms
- savage
- brute
- heathen
- boor
- philistine
- vandal

## Antonyms
- civilized
- cultivated
- refined

## Derived Forms
- barbarianism

## Related Forms
- barbaric
- barbarous
- barbarity
- barbarism

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: barbarus
- Root: barbaros

## Etymology
From Latin barbarus, from Ancient Greek barbaros ('foreign, non-Greek'), imitative of unintelligible foreign speech heard as 'bar-bar'.

## AI Etymology
Barbarian is from Latin barbarus, from Ancient Greek barbaros ('foreign, non-Greek'), imitative of unintelligible foreign speech heard as 'bar-bar'. Important recorded forms include barbarus (Latin) and barbaros (Ancient Greek). The current sense covers an uncivilized or savage person; brutish. The wider family includes derived forms such as barbarianism and related words such as barbaric, barbarous, barbarity, and barbarism.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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barbarian

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