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

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

Judge Jamie Sawyer said the gang showed "a shocking level of barbarism and callousness" for the dogs involved in the case.

From BBC

But if “Occupied City” is an account of barbarism in a country that saw about 75% of its Jewish population murdered during the Holocaust, it is also, stirringly, a chronicle of mass resistance.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• atrocity
• barbarity
• brutality
• cruelty
• inhumanity