barbaric
/bɑː(ɹ)ˈbæɹɪk/adjective
barbaric is spelled B-A-R-B-A-R-I-C: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, barbaric means “of or relating to a barbarian; uncivilized, uncultured or uncouth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in barbaric?
| Letters | 8: B-A-R-B-A-R-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 20,356th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is barbaric?
Barbaric appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce barbaric?
- /bɑː(ɹ)ˈbæɹɪk/
- /bɑː(ɹ)ˈbɛɹɪk/
Barbaric has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-barbaric.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of barbaric
- more barbaric comparative
- most barbaric superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does barbaric mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
of or relating to a barbarian; uncivilized, uncultured or uncouth
a barbaric attack on a doctor in a hospital
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Barbaric in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense uncivilised:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | barbare |
| German | barbarisch |
| Portuguese | bárbaro |
| Spanish | barbárico |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does barbaric come from?
Inherited from Middle English barbarik, from Old French barbarique (“barbarous”), from Latin barbaricus, from Ancient Greek βαρβαρικός (barbarikós, “barbaric, savage, fierce”), from βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “barbarian”) + -ικός (-ikós, adjective suffix). See βάρβαρος (bárbaros) for more.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).