cannibal

[kan-uh-buhl]

noun

1. a person who eats human flesh, especially for magical or religious purposes, as among certain tribal peoples.

2. any animal that eats its own kind.

adjective

1. pertaining to or characteristic of a cannibal.

2. given to cannibalism.

cannibal

/ ˈkænɪbəl /

noun

1. 1. a person who eats the flesh of other human beings

   2. ( as modifier )

      cannibal tribes

2. an animal that feeds on the flesh of others of its kind

Other Word Forms

• cannibally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of cannibal¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish caníbal, variant of caríbal, from canib-, caribe (from Taíno; Carib ( def. ) ) + -al -al ¹; from the belief that the Caribs of the West Indies ate human flesh

Word History and Origins

Origin of cannibal¹

C16: from Spanish Canibales, name used by Columbus to designate the Caribs of Cuba and Haiti, from Arawak caniba, variant of _Carib

Example Sentences

As they do so, like Sara, seeking a “defining moment” they might morph into news cannibals.

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In total, the American people, and their ability to live full and meaningful lives, are being gobbled up by what political theorist Nancy Fraser describes as “cannibal capitalism.”

Read more on Salon

He even had cannibal fantasies about eating children.

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We don’t know what’s happening in the rest of the world but here in this rural stretch of Canada, hungry cannibals are hunting people in the woods.

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The actor said he did not mind playing a cannibal in Protein, but admitted some scenes could be difficult to watch.

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Related Words

• anthropophaginian www.thesaurus.com
• anthropophagite 
• anthropophagus www.thesaurus.com
• man-eater 
• people-eater www.thesaurus.com