# barbarous

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈbɑː(ɹ)bəɹəs/ · frequency rank #50,371

## Definitions
1. Not classical or pure.
2. Uncivilized, uncultured.
3. Mercilessly or impudently violent or cruel, savage.
4. Like a barbarian, especially in sound; noisy, dissonant.

## Etymology
Late Middle English, from Latin barbarus (“foreigner, savage”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “foreign, strange”).

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