barbarically
|bar-bar-ic-al-ly|
🇺🇸
/bɑrˈbærɪkli/
🇬🇧
/bɑːˈbærɪkli/
(barbaric)
savagely cruel
Etymology
'barbarically' originates from Late Latin 'barbaricus', ultimately from Greek 'barbaros', where the root 'barbar-' meant 'foreign' or 'not speaking (unintelligible)'.
'barbaros' (Greek) → 'barbaricus' (Late Latin) → Old French forms such as 'barbare'/'barbarique' → Middle English 'barbarous' and 'barbaric' → Modern English 'barbaric' + the adverbial suffix '-ally' producing 'barbarically'.
Initially it meant 'foreign' or 'unintelligible' (i.e. not Greek), but over time it shifted to mean 'uncivilized' or 'savage'; in modern English it commonly means 'in a savage or cruel manner'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adverb 1
in a savage, cruel, or brutal manner; with extreme violence or lacking compassion.
The prisoners were treated barbarically by their captors.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adverb 2
in an uncivilized, crude, or primitive way; lacking refinement or cultured behavior.
Many regarded the attack as barbarically conducted, showing little regard for any rules of war.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/14 00:48