Barbariousness

/bɑrˈbɛəriəsnəs/ noun

Definition

The quality or state of being barbarous; cruelty, savagery, or the lack of civilization and refinement.

Etymology

From 'barbarious' plus the abstract noun suffix '-ness,' creating a noun that describes the condition or quality of being barbarous.

Kelly Says

When people claimed certain places had 'barbariousness,' they were often justifying colonial conquest—but historians now see that so-called 'barbarous' societies often had incredible complexity and sophisticated systems!

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