barbarian

See also: barbarían

English

Etymology

From Middle English barbarian, borrowed from Medieval Latin barbarinus (“Berber, pagan, foreigner”), from Latin barbaria (“foreign country”), from barbarus (“foreigner, savage”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “foreign, non-Greek, strange”), possibly onomatopoeic (mimicking foreign languages, akin to English blah blah). Cognate to Sanskrit बर्बर (barbara, “barbarian, non-Aryan, stammering, blockhead”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɑː(ɹ).ˈbɛə.ɹi.ən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /bɑɹ.ˈbɛəɹ.i.ən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛəɹiən

Adjective

barbarian (not comparable)

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

Synonyms

• barbaric
• barbarous

Derived terms

• barbarianess
• barbarianism
• semibarbarian

 

Translations

uncivilized

• Albanian: i barbar (sq), i paqytetëruar (sq)
• Arabic: هَمَجِيّ (hamajiyy), مُتَوَحِّش (ar) (mutawaḥḥiš)
• Armenian: բարբարոսական (hy) (barbarosakan)
• Azerbaijani: barbar, vəhşi (az)
• Belarusian: ва́рварскі (várvarski), ба́рбарскі (bárbarski), барбары́нскі (barbarýnski), дзі́кі (dzíki), дзіку́нскі (dzikúnski)
• Bulgarian: ва́рварски (bg) (várvarski), див (bg) (div)
• Catalan: bàrbar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 野蠻／野蛮 (zh) (yěmán), 不文明 (bù wénmíng), 胡 (zh) (hú)

• Czech: barbarský (cs)
• Danish: barbarisk
• Dutch: barbaars (nl)
• Estonian: barbaarne
• Finnish: barbaarinen (fi), barbaarimainen (fi)
• French: barbare (fr)
• Galician: bárbaro
• Georgian: ბარბაროსი (barbarosi)
• German: barbarisch (de)
• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) (várvaros), βαρβαρικός (el) (varvarikós)

  Ancient: βαρβαρικός (barbarikós)

• Hebrew: בַּרְבָּרִי (he) (barbári)
• Hungarian: barbár (hu)
• Icelandic: barbarískur, villimannslegur
• Italian: barbaro (it) m
• Japanese: 野蛮な (ja) (やばんな, yaban na)
• Kazakh: варвар (varvar), варварлық (varvarlyq)
• Kyrgyz: варвар (ky) (varvar)
• Latvian: barbarisks
• Lithuanian: barbariškas
• Macedonian: варварски (varvarski)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: barbarisk

  Nynorsk: barbarisk

• Persian: وحشیانه (fa) (vahšiyâne), وحشی (fa) (vahši), بربری (fa) (barbari)
• Polish: barbarzyński (pl)
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt)
• Romanian: barbar (ro)
• Russian: ва́рварский (ru) (várvarskij), ди́кий (ru) (díkij)
• Sanskrit: बर्बर (sa) (barbara)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ба̀рбарскӣ, ва̀рварскӣ, дѝвља̄чкӣ

  Roman: bàrbarskī (sh), vàrvarskī (sh), dìvljāčkī (sh)

• Slovak: barbarský
• Slovene: barbarski (sl)
• Sogdian: ܒܪܒܪܥܝܩ (βarβarīk)
• Spanish: bárbaro (es)
• Swahili: shenzi
• Swedish: barbarisk (sv)
• Tajik: ваҳшиёна (vahšiyona), ваҳшӣ (tg) (vahši), барбарӣ (barbari)
• Turkish: barbar (tr)
• Ukrainian: ва́рварський (uk) (várvarsʹkyj), ди́кий (dýkyj), дику́нський (dykúnsʹkyj)
• Uzbek: vahshiyona (uz), vahshiy (uz)
• Vietnamese: dã man (vi) (野蠻)
• Zazaki: barbar

Noun

barbarian (plural barbarians)

1. (historical) A non-Greek or a non-Roman citizen.
2. An uncivilized or uncultured person, originally compared to the hellenistic Greco-Roman civilisation; usually associated with senseless violence and self-harm or other such shows of brute force and lack of mental faculty.
3. (derogatory) A person destitute of culture; a Philistine.
   • 1725, Anthony Blackwall, The Sacred Classics Defended And Illustrated:

     Shall a noble writer, and an inspired noble writer, be called a solecist, and barbarian, for giving a new turn to a word so agreeable to the analogy and genius of the Greek tongue?

4. (derogatory) Someone from a developing country or backward culture.
5. A brutish warrior depicted in sword and sorcery and other fantasy works; typically clad in primitive furs or leather and usually favoring physical strength over intelligence while often possessing a bellicose temperament and disdain for laws.
6. (derogatory) A cruel, savage, inhumane, brutal, violently aggressive person, particularly one who is unintelligent or dim-witted; one without pity or empathy.
   • 1712, Ambrose Philips, The Distrest Mother:

     Thou fell barbarian.

7. (derogatory) A foreigner, especially with barbaric qualities as in the above definitions.

Synonyms

• (foreigner): alien, outlander, peregrine; see also Thesaurus:foreigner

Translations

a non-Greek or a non-Roman

• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)

  Ancient Greek: βάρβαρος m (bárbaros)

  Mycenaean Greek: 𐀞𐀞𐀫 m (pa-pa-ro)

• Polish: barbarzyńca (pl) m
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
• Ukrainian: ва́рвар m (várvar), ва́рварка f (várvarka)

uncivilized person

• Afrikaans: barbaar
• Albanian: barbar (sq) m
• Arabic: هَمَجِيّ m (hamajiyy), بَرْبَرِيّ m (barbariyy)
• Armenian: բարբարոս (hy) (barbaros)
• Azerbaijani: barbar
• Belarusian: ва́рвар m (várvar), ва́рварка f (várvarka), ба́рбар m (bárbar), ба́рбарка f (bárbarka), дзіку́н m (dzikún), дзіку́нка f (dzikúnka)
• Bulgarian: ва́рварин (bg) m (várvarin), ва́рварка f (várvarka), дива́к (bg) m (divák), дива́чка f (diváčka)
• Catalan: bàrbar (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 野蠻人／野蛮人 (zh) (yěmánrén), 番子 (zh) (fānzi), 蠻人／蛮人 (zh) (mánrén), 夷 (zh) (yí)

• Czech: barbar (cs) m, barbarka f
• Danish: barbar (da) c
• Dutch: barbaar (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: barbaro (eo)
• Estonian: barbar (et)
• Finnish: barbaari (fi), raakalainen (fi)
• French: barbare (fr) m or f
• Galician: bárbaro m, bárbara f
• Georgian: ბარბაროსი (barbarosi)
• German: Barbar (de) m, Barbarin f
• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)

  Ancient: βάρβαρος m (bárbaros)

• Hindi: बर्बर (hi) m (barbar)
• Hungarian: barbár (hu)
• Icelandic: barbari m
• Irish: barbarach m
• Italian: barbaro (it) m, barbara (it) f
• Japanese: 野蛮 (ja) (やばん, yaban), 野蛮人 (ja) (やばんじん, yabanjin), 蛮人 (ja) (ばんじん, banjin), 夷人 (いじん, ijin)
• Kazakh: варвар (varvar)
• Korean: 야만인(野蠻人) (ko) (yamanin) (in a modern or Western sense), 오랑캐 (ko) (orangkae) (in traditional East Asian contexts)
• Kyrgyz: варвар (ky) (varvar)
• Latin: barbarus (la) m, barbara f
• Latvian: barbars m
• Lithuanian: barbaras m
• Macedonian: варвар m (varvar), варварин m (varvarin), варварка f (varvarka)
• Norman: barbare m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: barbar m

  Nynorsk: barbar m

• Persian: بربر (fa) (barbar)
• Polish: barbarzyńca (pl) m, barbarzynka (pl) f
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m, bárbara (pt) f
• Romanian: barbar (ro) m, barbară f, varvar m, varvară f
• Russian: ва́рвар (ru) m (várvar), ва́рварка (ru) f (várvarka), дика́рь (ru) m (dikárʹ), дика́рка (ru) f (dikárka)
• Sanskrit: बर्बर (sa) m (barbara), म्लेच्छ (sa) m (mleccha), दस्यु (sa) m (dasyu)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ба̀рбар m, ба̏рбарин m, ба̀рба̄рка f, варвар m, варварин m, варварка f, дѝвља̄к m, дивља̀киња f, дивља̀куша f

  Roman: bàrbar (sh) m, bȁrbarin m, bàrbārka (sh) f, varvar m, varvarin (sh) m, varvarka f, dìvljāk (sh) m, divljàkinja (sh) f, divljàkuša (sh) f

• Slovak: barbar (sk) m, barbarka (sk) f
• Slovene: barbar (sl) m, barbarka f
• Spanish: bárbaro (es) m, bárbara (es) f
• Swahili: mshenzi
• Swedish: barbar (sv) c
• Tajik: барбар (barbar)
• Turkish: barbar (tr)
• Ukrainian: ва́рвар m (várvar), ва́рварка f (várvarka), дику́н m (dykún), дику́нка f (dykúnka)
• Uzbek: barbar (uz), varvar (uz)
• Vietnamese: mọi (vi), rợ (vi)
• Welsh: barbariad m, anwariad m
• Yiddish: באַרבאַר m (barbar)
• Zazaki: barbar

derogatory term for someone from a developing country

• Armenian: բարբարոս (hy) (barbaros)
• Bulgarian: дива́к (bg) m (divák), дива́чка f (diváčka)
• Catalan: bàrbar (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 落後的人／落后的人 (luòhòu de rén) (no equivalent exists)

• Dutch: barbaar (nl) m or f, primitieveling m, wilde (nl) m or f
• Finnish: mutiainen (fi)
• French: barbare (fr) m or f
• German: Barbar (de) m
• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros), απολίτιστος (el) m (apolítistos)
• Hungarian: barbár (hu)
• Polish: barbarzyńca (pl) m
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
• Russian: ва́рвар (ru) m (várvar), ва́рварка (ru) f (várvarka), дика́рь (ru) m (dikárʹ), дика́рка (ru) f (dikárka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ба̀рбар m, ба̀рба̄рка f, дѝвља̄к m, дивља̀киња f, дивља̀куша f

  Roman: bàrbar (sh) m, bàrbārka (sh) f, dìvljāk (sh) m, divljàkinja (sh) f, divljàkuša (sh) f

• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: barbar (tr)
• Ukrainian: селю́к m (seljúk) (literally "village dweller"), село́ (uk) n (seló) (collective, literally "village")

warrior associated with Sword and Sorcery stories

• Catalan: bàrbar (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 野蠻人／野蛮人 (zh) (yěmánrén)

• Dutch: barbaar (nl) m or f
• Finnish: barbaari (fi)
• French: barbare (fr) m or f
• Galician: bárbaro m
• German: Barbar (de) m
• Greek: βάρβαρος (el) m (várvaros)
• Portuguese: bárbaro (pt) m
• Russian: ва́рвар (ru) m (várvar)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: barbar (sv) c
• Turkish: barbar (tr)
• Ukrainian: ва́рвар m (várvar), ва́рварка f (várvarka)

a cruel, savage, brutal person; one without pity or humanity

• Polish: barbarzyńca (pl) m
• Ukrainian: ва́рвар m (várvar), ва́рварка f (várvarka)
• Zazaki: barbarin

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} barbari m, ^{(please verify)} skrælingi m, ^{(please verify)} villimaður m
• Scottish Gaelic: ^{(please verify)} duine borb m, ^{(please verify)} amhasg m, ^{(please verify)} allmharach m

Related terms

• barbarism
• barbarity
• barbarize
• barbary
• rhubarb
• outlander