barbarity
barbarity Lexical Profile
barbarity Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Extreme cruelty, brutality, or mercilessness in behavior or treatment.
"Historians documented the shocking barbarity of the ancient penal system."
A specific act or instance of extreme cruelty or brutality.
"The tribunal was established to investigate the barbarities committed against civilians."
Absence of culture, refinement, or artistic sophistication; crudeness in style or taste.
"Critics of the era dismissed the unadorned concrete architecture as a work of sheer barbarity."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Barbarity' and 'barbarism' overlap, but 'barbarity' most often emphasizes extreme cruelty or brutal acts, whereas 'barbarism' more frequently refers to an uncivilized state of society or a nonstandard usage in language.
• Rhymes for barbarity
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Latin 'barbaritas', from 'barbarus' ('foreign, uncivilized'), ultimately from Ancient Greek 'barbaros', an imitative word representing the unintelligible speech of foreigners.