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carnage

American  
[kahr-nij] / ˈkɑr nɪdʒ /

noun

  1. the slaughter of a great number of people, as in battle; butchery; massacre.

  2. fighting or other violence.

    brutal carnage on the football field.

  3. great damage, utter defeat, or chaos.

    We are charting a way forward after the Election Day carnage.

  4. Archaic. dead bodies, as of those slain in battle.


carnage British  
/ ˈkɑːnɪdʒ /

noun

  1. extensive slaughter, esp of human beings in battle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of carnage

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French, from Italian carnaggio, from Medieval Latin carnāticum “payment or offering in meat,” equivalent to Latin carn- (stem of carō ) “flesh” + -āticum noun sufffix; see -age

Explanation

Carnage is mass murder. If you have seen news footage of a village after a bomb has been detonated, you probably saw a scene of carnage. Carnage comes from the Latin carnaticum, meaning "flesh" or "slaughter of animals." Carnage is often used to describe the brutal killing of many people, but can also refer to large numbers of animals that have been butchered.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Carnage" is how Craig Fish from Lodestone brokers in London described the situation.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2023

In "American Carnage," a book about the modern Republican Party, Boehner told author Tim Alberta, "Louie Gohmert is insane. There's not a functional brain in there."

From Salon • Aug. 18, 2022

Venom: Let There Be Carnage Tom Hardy returns as investigative reporter Eddie Brock and his parasitic alien BFF in this 2021 superhero sequel.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2022

Long-awaited releases including the James Bond film "No Time To Die" and Marvel's "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" also helped AMC recover from pandemic restrictions that had brought movie-going to a standstill.

From Reuters • Mar. 1, 2022

If outrage were a slip, then for years Sarai had worn only the one: the Carnage.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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