What does BARBARIAN mean?

Definitions for BARBARIAN
bɑrˈbɛər i ənbar·bar·ian

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word BARBARIAN.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. savage, barbariannoun

    a member of an uncivilized people

  2. peasant, barbarian, boor, churl, Goth, tyke, tikeadjective

    a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement

  3. barbarian, barbaric, savage, uncivilized, uncivilised, wildadjective

    without civilizing influences

    "barbarian invaders"; "barbaric practices"; "a savage people"; "fighting is crude and uncivilized especially if the weapons are efficient"-Margaret Meade; "wild tribes"

Wiktionary

  1. barbariannoun

    An uncivilized or uncultured person, originally compared to the hellenistic Greco-Roman civilisation; often associated with fighting or other such shows of strength.

  2. barbariannoun

    Someone from a developing country or backward culture.

  3. barbariannoun

    A warrior, clad in fur or leather, associated with Sword and Sorcery stories.

  4. barbarianadjective

    Relating to people, countries or customs perceived as uncivilized or inferior.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Barbarianadjective

    Belonging to barbarians; savage.

    Some felt the silent stroke of mould’ring age,
    Barbarian blindness. Alexander Pope, Epistles.

  2. Barbariannoun

    It seems to have signified at first only foreign, or a foreigner; but, in time, implied some degree of wildness or cruelty.

    Etymology: barbarus, Lat.

    Proud Greece, all nations else barbarians held,
    Boasting, her learning all the world excell’d. John Denham.

    There were not different gods among the Greeks and barbarians. Edward Stillingfleet, Defence of Disc. on Romish Idolatry.

    But with descending show’rs of brimstone fir’d,
    The wild barbarian in the storm expir’d. Addison.

    I would they were barbarians, as they are,
    Though in Rome litter’d. William Shakespeare, Coriolanus.

    Thou fell barbarian!
    What had he done? what could provoke thy madness
    To assassinate so great, so brave a man! Ambrose Philips, D. Mot.

Wikipedia

  1. Barbarian

    A barbarian, or savage, is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less civilized or orderly (such as a tribal society) but may also be part of a certain "primitive" cultural group (such as nomads) or social class (such as bandits) both within and outside one's own nation. Alternatively, they may instead be admired and romanticised as noble savages. In idiomatic or figurative usage, a "barbarian" may also be an individual reference to a brutal, cruel, warlike, and insensitive person.The term originates from the Greek: βάρβαρος (barbaros pl. βάρβαροι barbaroi). In Ancient Greece, the Greeks used the term not only towards those who did not speak Greek and follow classical Greek customs, but also towards Greek populations on the fringe of the Greek world with peculiar dialects. In Ancient Rome, the Romans adapted and used the term towards tribal non-Romans such as the Berbers, Germanics, Celts, Iberians, Thracians, Illyrians, and Sarmatians. In the early modern period and sometimes later, the Byzantine Greeks used it for the Turks in a clearly pejorative manner. In Ancient China, references to barbarians go back as far as the Shang Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Annals. "Lands beyond moral influence" (Chinese: 化外之地; pinyin: Huà wài zhī dì) or areas outside of range of the Emperor were generally labeled as "Barbarians" or uncivilized through the lens of Sinocentrism.

ChatGPT

  1. barbarian

    A barbarian is a term used to refer to a person who is perceived to be uncivilized, primitive, or lacking culture and refinement, typically associated with the lack of recognition of certain cultural, social, and moral standards within a certain civilization. It is often used in historical contexts to refer to groups of people who lived outside of or invaded established ancient civilizations. However, the term can also have negative connotations and can be used pejoratively to describe brutish or cruel behavior. It's important to note the usage and interpretation might vary widely due to cultural perspectives.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Barbariannoun

    a foreigner

  2. Barbariannoun

    a man in a rule, savage, or uncivilized state

  3. Barbariannoun

    a person destitute of culture

  4. Barbariannoun

    a cruel, savage, brutal man; one destitute of pity or humanity

  5. Barbarianadjective

    of, or pertaining to, or resembling, barbarians; rude; uncivilized; barbarous; as, barbarian governments or nations

Wikidata

  1. Barbarian

    The term "barbarian" refers to a person who is perceived to be uncivilized. The word is often used either in a general reference to member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage. In idiomatic or figurative usage, a "barbarian" may also be an individual reference to a brutal, cruel, warlike, insensitive person. The term originates from the ancient Greek word βάρβαρος. Hence the Greek idiom "πᾶς μὴ Ἕλλην βάρβαρος" which literally means "whoever is not Greek is a barbarian". In ancient times, Greeks used it for the people of different cultures but also to deride other Greek tribes and states; in the early modern period and sometimes later, they used it for the Turks, in a clearly pejorative way. Comparable notions are found in non-European civilizations. In the Roman empire, Romans used the word barbarian for the Germans, Celts, Persians, Carthaginians, Iberians, Thracians, and in some respects the Greeks themselves.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of BARBARIAN in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of BARBARIAN in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of BARBARIAN in a Sentence

  1. Mariana Fulger:

    Culture sets apart man from barbarian, but not in all regards.

  2. Simms:

    The true law of the race is progress and development. Whatever civilization pauses in the march of conquest, it is overthrown by the barbarian.

  3. George Bernard Shaw, "Ceasar and Cleopatra":

    Pardon him, Theodotus: he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.

  4. Arnold J. Toynbee:

    History teaches us that when a barbarian race confronts a sleeping culture, the barbarian always wins.

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Translations for BARBARIAN

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