noun, plural bar·bar·i·ties.
- brutal or inhuman conduct; cruelty.
- an act or instance of cruelty or inhumanity.
- crudity of style, taste, expression, etc.
noun plural -ties
- the state or condition of being barbaric or barbarous
- a brutal or vicious act
- a crude or unsophisticated quality, style, expression, etc
1560s, “want of civilization,” from Latin barbarus (see barbarian) + -ity. Meaning “savage cruelty” is recorded from 1680s.