barbarism

[ bahr-buh-riz-uhm ]

noun

1. a barbarous or uncivilized state or condition.
2. a barbarous act; something belonging to or befitting a barbarous condition.
3. the use in a language of forms or constructions felt by some to be undesirably alien to the established standards of the language.
4. such a form or construction:

   Some people consider “complected” as a barbarism.

barbarism

/ ˈbɑːbəˌrɪzəm /

noun

1. a brutal, coarse, or ignorant act
2. the condition of being backward, coarse, or ignorant
3. a substandard or erroneously constructed or derived word or expression; solecism
4. any act or object that offends against accepted taste

Other Words From

• hyper·barbar·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of barbarism¹

1570–80; < Latin barbarismus < Greek barbarismós foreign way of speaking. See barbarous, -ism

Word History and Origins

Origin of barbarism¹

C16: from Latin barbarismus error of speech, from Greek barbarismos , from barbaros barbarous

Example Sentences

Relations between Macron and Benyamin Netanyahu have come under severe strain in recent weeks, after Macron accused the Israeli prime minister of “spreading barbarism” in Gaza and Lebanon.

From BBC

"Instead of standing with Israel, a fellow democracy defending itself against barbarism, Britain’s misguided decision will only embolden Hamas," he said on social media.

From BBC

Her six-part exhibition in Venice, “The Endless Spiral,” pays tribute to those who have no place of refuge, those whose lives are a circle of running from violence and barbarism, interrupted only by political and economic borders.

From Los Angeles Times

In one of many references to Iran, the Israeli prime minister claimed an “axis of terror” threatened the US, Israel and the Arab world, framing it as a “clash of barbarism against civilisations”.

From BBC

Isaac Geldhart, the imperious protagonist of Jon Robin Baitz’s “The Substance of Fire,” is waging a losing battle against the forces of cultural barbarism.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• atrocity
• barbarity
• brutality
• cruelty
• inhumanity