barbaricbar‧bar‧ic /bɑːˈbærɪk $ bɑːr-/ ●○○ adjective 
Word Origin
The way the whales are killed is nothing short of barbaric.► see thesaurus at cruel
Word OriginWORD ORIGINbarbaric
ExamplesOrigin:
1300-1400 Old French barbarique, from Latin, from Greek, from barbaros; ➔ BARBAROUSEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- a barbaric custom
- the barbaric treatment of civilians in the concentration camps
- the barbaric treatment of women prisoners
- We consider the death penalty to be barbaric.
- Attack and reprisal-increasingly barbaric and brutal by turn-have marked the conflict since then.
- Is the Buddhist practice any less barbaric?
- Most of them were from the barbaric tribes nearer the frozen Hub, which had a sort of export trade in heroes.
- The river was despotic and barbaric, ruling over its subjects without mercy.
- This procedure, as barbaric as it is, is not done by governments.
- Until recently, the great objective was to free the peasants from the barbaric constraints of Nature.
- Wine was carefully mixed with water, because drinking undiluted wine was considered barbaric.
THESAURUS► cruel
very cruel and violent SYN barbarous: deliberately hurting people or making them suffer: · It was cruel to lock the dog in the garage all day.· Her father had been very cruel to her when she was a child.· a cruel, selfish woman
► heartless not feeling any pity and not caring about other people or their problems: · How could you be so heartless!· He was cold and heartless and had no concern for the welfare of his employees.
► sadistic getting pleasure from making other people suffer: · a sadistic killer· a sadistic thing to do
► barbaric extremely cruel, in a way that shocks people: · a barbaric punishment· a barbaric sport
► vicious very violent and cruel, especially by suddenly attacking someone and causing injury to them: · a vicious attack on an innocent man· Some dogs can be vicious.
► brutal very cruel and violent, in a way that shows no human feelings: · a brutal dictator· the brutal methods used by the secret police
► inhumane inhumane conditions, treatment etc are not considered acceptable because they cause too much suffering: · the inhumane treatment of prisoners
► cold-blooded a cold-blooded murder, attack etc is done without showing any feeling or pity for the person who is attacked. A cold-blooded killer kills people without showing any pity: · a woman's cold-blooded murder of her devoted husband· a cold-blooded psychopath
Longman Language Activatorcruel behaviour/punishments/treatment► cruel intended to upset someone or make them suffer: · Lyle was always playing cruel jokes on his little sister.· The electric chair is possibly the cruellest method of execution.it is cruel to do something: · I think it's cruel to keep dogs locked up inside all day.
► barbaric extremely cruel, in a way that shocks people: · We consider the death penalty to be barbaric.· the barbaric treatment of civilians in the concentration camps
► inhuman very cruel and not showing any of the pity or concern that normal people feel when they see other people suffering: · The prison conditions in this country are inhuman.· The government has been accused of using artificial and inhuman criteria to decide which refugees should be deported.
► inhumane: inhumane treatment/conditions/methods etc actions or conditions that are not considered acceptable because they cause too much suffering: · Amnesty International is protesting against the inhumane treatment of these political prisoners.· This method of slaughtering chickens is now regarded by many as inhumane.
► cold-blooded: cold-blooded murder/killing/attack a murder etc done without showing any feeling or pity for the person who is attacked: · The entire nation has been shocked by the cold-blooded murder of the two girls.
► in cold blood if you kill someone in cold blood , you kill them in a cruel and deliberate way without showing any emotion: · The killers hunted Pedro down like an animal and murdered him in cold blood.
The way the whales are killed is nothing short of barbaric.► see thesaurus at cruel