carnage
Americannoun
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.
Vocabulary lists containing carnage
Donald Trump Inauguration Address- January 20, 2017
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Persepolis
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Achievement First 7th Grade IA 1 Words
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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.
The surge in bond yields to generational highs has investors around the world watching and worrying about what could crack, spiral or leave a trail of carnage in its path.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
I watched the carnage from an NYU dorm room, having just moved to the city to start my freshman year of college.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
Roland-Garros limits the carnage by putting on only one big match at night, but that creates headaches about selection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Phil White also spoke of incredibly busy scenes in the airport's baggage reclaim hall, describing it as "carnage" as an influx of disrupted passengers tried to find their luggage.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Each breath I took was soured by the scorched, sickly sweet odor of the glue processing plants, while the canal, polluted with animal carcasses from the slaughterhouses, reeked of ghastly carnage.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
