Barbarous
Barbarous adjective - Having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others.
Usage example: the barbarous treatment of the native peoples of the New World by those bent on conquest at any cost
Malevolent and barbarous are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Malevolent" instead an adjective "Barbarous".
Malevolent
Malevolent adjective - Having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it.
Barbarous and malevolent are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Barbarous" instead an adjective "Malevolent".
Nearby Words: malevolence, malevolently
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Cite this Source
Malevolent and Barbarous. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 01, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/barbarous/malevolent
Barbarous & Malevolent. N.p., 2016. Web. 01 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/barbarous/malevolent>.
Malevolent or Barbarous. 2016. Accessed August 01, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/barbarous/malevolent.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "barbarous" and "malevolent" have occurred on timeline