BARBARIAN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does barbarian mean? 

• BARBARIAN (noun)
  The noun BARBARIAN has 2 senses:

1. a member of an uncivilized people

2. a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement

  Familiarity information: BARBARIAN used as a noun is rare.

• BARBARIAN (adjective)
  The adjective BARBARIAN has 1 sense:

1. without civilizing influences

  Familiarity information: BARBARIAN used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BARBARIAN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A member of an uncivilized people

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

barbarian; savage

Hypernyms ("barbarian" is a kind of...):

primitive; primitive person (a person who belongs to an early stage of civilization)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "barbarian"):

anthropophagite; anthropophagus; cannibal; man-eater (a person who eats human flesh)

head-shrinker; headhunter (a savage who cuts off and preserves the heads of enemies as trophies)

hunter-gatherer (a member of a hunting and gathering society)

Vandal (a member of the Germanic people who overran Gaul and Spain and North Africa and sacked Rome in 455)

Instance hyponyms:

Odoacer; Odovacar; Odovakar (Germanic barbarian leader who ended the Western Roman Empire in 476 and became the first barbarian ruler of Italy (434-493))

Derivation:

barbarian (without civilizing influences)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

barbarian; boor; churl; Goth; peasant; tike; tyke

Hypernyms ("barbarian" is a kind of...):

disagreeable person; unpleasant person (a person who is not pleasant or agreeable)

Derivation:

barbarian (without civilizing influences)

• BARBARIAN (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Without civilizing influences

Synonyms:

barbarian; barbaric; savage; uncivilised; uncivilized; wild

Context example:

wild tribes

Similar:

noncivilised; noncivilized (not having a high state of culture and social development)

Derivation:

barbarian (a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement)

barbarian (a member of an uncivilized people)

 Context examples 

Verily, they are heathens and barbarians, cried the man; mad, howling, drunken barbarians!

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Your brothers, to-day, are ignorant barbarians compared with me and the knowledge I have wrung from the books in the hours they were sleeping.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

As I was looking about for a secure landing-place, I saw a sail to the north-north-east, which appearing every minute more visible, I was in some doubt whether I should wait for them or not; but at last my detestation of the Yahoo race prevailed: and turning my canoe, I sailed and paddled together to the south, and got into the same creek whence I set out in the morning, choosing rather to trust myself among these barbarians, than live with European Yahoos.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

I heard that the man with the wooden leg, whose name was Tungay, was an obstinate barbarian who had formerly assisted in the hop business, but had come into the scholastic line with Mr. Creakle, in consequence, as was supposed among the boys, of his having broken his leg in Mr. Creakle's service, and having done a deal of dishonest work for him, and knowing his secrets.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The strangest figures we saw were the Slovaks, who were more barbarian than the rest, with their big cow-boy hats, great baggy dirty-white trousers, white linen shirts, and enormous heavy leather belts, nearly a foot wide, all studded over with brass nails.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Brave young signor, cried the tall man, throwing his arms round Alleyne, how can we thank you enough for taking our parts against those horrible drunken barbarians.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"Yes," Martin went on heartily, "I'm no more than a barbarian getting my first impressions of civilization."

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

But this I conceived was to be the least of my misfortunes; for, as human creatures are observed to be more savage and cruel in proportion to their bulk, what could I expect but to be a morsel in the mouth of the first among these enormous barbarians that should happen to seize me?

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

As he listened to her, there rang in the ears of his memory the harsh cries of barbarian women and of hags, and, in lesser degrees of harshness, the strident voices of working women and of the girls of his own class.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

He saw the ring of boys, howling like barbarians as he went down at last, writhing in the throes of nausea, the blood streaming from his nose and the tears from his bruised eyes.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)