# barbarian

> English word · Adjective · IPA /bɑː(ɹ)ˈbɛə.ɹi.ən/ · frequency rank #20,043

## Definitions
1. Relating to people, countries, or customs perceived as uncivilized or inferior.

## Etymology
From Middle English barbarian, borrowed from Medieval Latin barbarinus (“Berber, pagan, foreigner”), from Latin barbaria (“foreign country”), from barbarus (“foreigner, savage”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “foreign, non-Greek, strange”), possibly onomatopoeic (mimicking foreign languages, akin to English blah blah). Cognate to Sanskrit बर्बर (barbara, “barbarian, non-Aryan, stammering, blockhead”).

## Easily confused with
- **barbaric** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barbarian-vs-barbaric)
- **bavarian** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barbarian-vs-bavarian)
- **barbarism** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barbarian-vs-barbarism)
- **Barbara** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/barbara-vs-barbarian)

## Common misspellings (13)
`abrbarian`, `babrarian`, `barabrian`, `barbairan`, `barbarain`, `barbariann`, `barbarina`, `barbarrian`, `barbbarian`, `barbraian`, `barrbarian`, `bbarbarian`, `brabarian`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/barbarian