carnivorous

[ kahr-niv-er-uhs ]
See synonyms for carnivorous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. flesh-eating: A dog is a carnivorous animal.

  2. of the carnivores.

Origin of carnivorous

1
1640–50; <Latin carnivorus, equivalent to carni- (combining form of carō flesh) + -vorus-vorous

Other words for carnivorous

Other words from carnivorous

  • car·niv·o·rism, noun
  • car·niv·o·rous·ly, adverb
  • car·niv·o·rous·ness, noun
  • non·car·niv·o·rous, adjective
  • non·car·niv·o·rous·ly, adverb
  • non·car·niv·o·rous·ness, noun
  • un·car·niv·o·rous, adjective
  • un·car·niv·o·rous·ly, adverb
  • un·car·niv·o·rous·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with carnivorous

Words Nearby carnivorous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use carnivorous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for carnivorous

carnivorous

/ (kɑːˈnɪvərəs) /


adjective
  1. (esp of animals) feeding on flesh

  2. (of plants such as the pitcher plant and sundew) able to trap and digest insects and other small animals

  1. of or relating to the Carnivora

  2. informal aggressively ambitious or reactionary

Origin of carnivorous

1
C17: from Latin carnivorus, from carō flesh + vorāre to consume

Derived forms of carnivorous

  • carnivorously, adverb
  • carnivorousness, noun

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