barbarian

American  

[bahr-bair-ee-uhn] / bɑrˈbɛər i ən /

noun

1. a person in a savage, primitive state; uncivilized person.

2. a person without culture, refinement, or education; philistine.

3. (loosely) a foreigner.

4. (in ancient and medieval periods)

   1. a non-Greek.

   2. a person living outside, especially north of, the Roman Empire.

   3. a person not living in a Christian country or within a Christian civilization.

5. (among Italians during the Renaissance) a person of non-Italian origin.

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adjective

1. uncivilized; crude; savage.

   Synonyms:

   uncultivated, ignorant, coarse, barbaric, rough, wild, primitive, rude

   Antonyms:

   civilized, cultivated

2. foreign; alien.

barbarian British  

/ bɑːˈbɛərɪən /

noun

1. a member of a primitive or uncivilized people

2. a coarse, insensitive, or uncultured person

3. a vicious person

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adjective

1. of an uncivilized culture

2. insensitive, uncultured, or brutal

Usage

What does barbarian mean? The word barbarian is used to refer to a person who’s considered extremely crude and uncivilized. It can also be used as an adjective meaning crude or uncivilized. There are several related words that are used in the context of people or things considered uncivilized or cruel, including the adjectives barbaric and barbarous and the nouns barbarism and barbarity. The term barbarian was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans to refer to any foreigner. In ancient and medieval times, it was variously used to refer to non-Greeks, non-Romans, and non-Christians. The term eventually became associated with a stereotypical image of barbarians as primitive and brutish. For example, movies and comic strips often depict people they call barbarians as dressing in animal skins and carrying simple weapons, like wooden clubs. Like the word savage, the word barbarian can be very offensive due to its use to dehumanize the people that it’s applied to, especially in a way that calls attention to their otherness or the supposed primitiveness of their culture or customs. Still, barbarian is often used in an exaggerated way to refer to a person who behaves in a way considered crude or brutish. This use of the word focuses on a person’s crude behavior and is not intended to imply any sense of foreignness. It’s often intended to be lighthearted and humorous. Example: Boys, please don’t track mud through the house like a bunch of barbarians!

Related Words

Barbarian, barbaric, barbarous pertain to uncivilized people. Barbarian is the general word for anything uncivilized: a barbarian tribe. Barbaric has both unfavorable and mildly favorable connotations, implying crudeness of taste or practice, or conveying an idea of rude magnificence and splendor: barbaric noise. Barbarous emphasizes the inhumanity and cruelty of barbarian life: barbarous customs.

Other Word Forms

• barbarianism
  noun
• half-barbarian
  adjective
• nonbarbarian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of barbarian

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin barbari(a) “barbarous country” ( see barbarous, -ia) + -an

Explanation

Barbarian is an insulting word for a person from an uncivilized culture or a person with no manners. Barbarians aren't known for their etiquette. Those barbarians — back in ancient times they were always invading and pillaging and generally unleashing their fury on the more "civilized" Greeks and Romans. The barbarian hordes are long gone, but we still use this word as an insult for anyone who's acting rude, uncultured, or particularly savage. If you pick up a whole turkey leg and start gnawing like an animal at the dinner table, the other guests might call you a barbarian.

Example Sentences

He later appeared in a wide variety of movies such as Conan the Barbarian, Coming to America, Field of Dreams, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger.

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2024

Denys Arcand received his first nomination for “The Barbarian Invasions,” which he wrote and directed.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2024

"Conan the Barbarian" became an international hit shortly after its premiere.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2023

And a Mexican nanny on an odyssey with the two boys in her care passes through Union Station itself in my novel “The Barbarian Nurseries.”

From New York Times • May 17, 2023

He is a Barbarian boy, no more than thirteen.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir