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barbarie

barbarity

noun bahr-BAH-ryeh Rare

Origin: From Latin barbaria ('foreign land, rudeness'), from Greek barbaros ('foreigner').

Also means

savagery

Usage Note

Barbarie is a feminine noun denoting extreme cruelty or uncivilised behaviour. The related adjective is bárbaro ('barbaric'), which in colloquial Spanish has also acquired a strongly positive slang sense ('awesome, fantastic'), creating a potential register trap.

Examples

"El mundo condenó la barbarie del ataque."

Natural Translation

The world condemned the barbarity of the attack.

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