Barbarize

//ˈbɑː(ɹ)bəɹaɪz// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1
To cause to become savage or uncultured. transitive
2
make crude or savage in behavior or speech wordnet
3
To become savage or uncultured. intransitive
"The Roman empire was barbarizing rapidly from the time of Trajan."
4
become crude or savage or barbaric in behavior or language wordnet
5
To adopt a foreign or barbarous mode of speech. intransitive
"The ill habit […] of wretched barbarizing against the Latin and Greek idiom, with their untutored Anglicisms."

Synonyms

assault attack barbarise batter brutalize burn

Example

"The Roman empire was barbarizing rapidly from the time of Trajan."

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.