Synonyms

animal kingdom

American

noun

the animals of the world collectively.

animal kingdom British

noun

a category of living organisms comprising all animals Compare plant kingdom mineral kingdom

"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

animal kingdom Cultural

The group of living things typically distinguished from members of the plant kingdom by the power of moving from place to place and by a metabolism that does not use photosynthesis.

Etymology

Origin of animal kingdom

First recorded in 1840–50

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.

But blood is not the same across the animal kingdom.

From Science Daily • May 27, 2026

The creatures I’m mentioning here aren’t flukes in the animal kingdom.

From Slate • May 10, 2026

Showing Attenborough's cross-generational appeal, US singer-songwriter Billie Eilish has praised his "deep love and knowledge of our planet", adding: "The animal kingdom brings out the childlike curiosity within us all."

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

Sir David Attenborough's latest BBC One series documents how parents from across the animal kingdom sacrifice everything in order to raise their young.

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2025

The wandering bands of storytelling Sapiens were the most important and most destructive force the animal kingdom had ever produced.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023