You searched for: “barbarism”
barbarian, barbarians; barbarian, barbaric, barbarism, barbarous
barbarian (bar BAIR ee uhn) (noun)
1. Savage, alien, outlander: The city barricaded itself against the invading barbarians.
2. Hoodlum, roughneck: Young barbarians have defaced public buildings throughout the city.
3. Anti-intellectual, lowbrow, illiterate: The barbarian in the audience jeered the composer's new work.
barbarian (bar BAIR ee uhn) (adjective)
Uncultivated, uncultured, crude: The artist accused the public of having barbarian tastes.
barbaric (bar BAIR ik) (adjective)
1. Uncivilized, savage, wild: The Huns were notorious for their barbaric cruelty.

The tribal dance was a spectacle of barbaric splendor.

2. Coarse, uncouth, crude, ill-mannered, vulgar, rude: Charley's behavior with the guests was barbaric and embarrassing.
barbarism (BAR bur iz'm) (noun)
1. An instance, an act, a trait, or a custom marked by coarseness or brutality: When Scot slapped the child with such harshness, his barbarism resulted in his being arrested by the police.
2. The use of words or forms felt to be incorrect or nonstandard; a specific word or form so used: Using the word "ain't" is considered a barbarism.
barbarous (BAR bur uhs) (adjective)
1. Cruel, brutal, harsh: It is barbarous to keep a large dog cooped up like that.
2. Coarse, crude, vulgar: The letter of complaint was written in barbarous English.

Shelby's friend, who was an English teacher, constantly commented about the barbarous language written by some of her pupils.

"Really, they are little barbarians whose previous years of schooling did nothing to tame their barbaric ways; they often use such barbarisms as 'Yo' instead of calling the person by name."

This entry is located in the following unit: Confusing Words Clarified: Group B; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes, etc. (page 2)
barbarism
1. An act, trait, or custom characterized by ignorance or crudity.
2. The use of words, forms, or expressions considered incorrect or unacceptable; a specific word, form, or expression so used.

Barbarism versus barbarity

There is a significant difference in meaning between barbarism and barbarity. Both denote some absence of civilization, but the word civilization itself has several different senses, one the opposite of barbarism, the other the opposite of barbarity.

On the one hand civilization may refer to the scientific, artistic, and cultural attainments of advanced societies, and it is this sense that figures in the meaning of barbarism. The English word barbarism originally referred to incorrect use of language, but it is now used more generally to refer to ignorance or crudity in matters of taste, including verbal expression: "The newspaper would never allow such barbarisms."

On the other hand, civilization may refer to the basic social order that allows people to resolve their differences peaceably, and it is this sense; that is, civilization as opposed to savagery that figures in the meaning of barbarity, which refers to savage brutality or cruelty in actions: "The reports of the terrorists' barbarity in the way they treated their hostages has been worse than anyone could have anticipated."

This entry is located in the following units: barbar- (page 1) -ism, -ismus (page 9)
barbarism (BAR bur iz'm)
1. An instance, act, trait, or custom marked by coarseness or brutality: "When he slapped the child with such harshness, his barbarism resulted in his arrest by the police."
2. The use of words or forms felt to be incorrect or nonstandard; a specific word or form so used: "Using the word "ain't" is considered a barbarism.