cannibal

[ kan-uh-buhl ]

/ ˈkæn ə bəl /

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See synonyms for cannibal on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

any animal that eats its own kind.

adjective

pertaining to or characteristic of a cannibal.

given to cannibalism.

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Origin of cannibal

1545–55; <Spanish caníbal, variant of caríbal, equivalent to canib-, carib- (<Arawak ) + -al-al¹; from the belief that the Caribs of the West Indies ate human flesh

OTHER WORDS FROM cannibal

can·ni·bal·ly, adverb

Words nearby cannibal

cannelure, canner, cannery, Cannes, cannetille, cannibal, cannibalism, cannibalize, cannikin, canning, Canning Basin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cannibal in a sentence

Writers frequently drew bones, lip plates and fangs over Davis’s photo in newspaper clippings, associated her Afro with primitivism and accused her of being a cannibal.
Thanks to conservative politicians and the media, the education wars echo the 1960s|Kate Flach|November 19, 2021|Washington Post
The windigo is this really terrifying cannibal spirit that as it gets bigger, it wants more, it wants more.
Voices from around the world on what’s at stake at COP26|Brady Dennis, Sarah Kaplan, William Booth, Samantha Schmidt|October 28, 2021|Washington Post
To me it is a ridiculous euphemism, the way you might refer to cannibals as “practitioners of nontraditional culinary adventuresomeness.”
Gene Weingarten: I have a better term for the ‘vaccine-hesitant’|Gene Weingarten|September 9, 2021|Washington Post
Imagine if, for example after the world ends, it’s a zombie apocalypse in one area, Mad Max bikers in another region, cannibal cult in another, and so on.
Meet the cat-sized mammals that thrived after the dinosaurs died|Claire Maldarelli|August 18, 2021|Popular-Science

Amirpour's next project is one she bills as a “Texas cannibal love story.”
The Punk Behind Iran's Only Vampire Spaghetti Western-Style Love Story|Melissa Leon|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fellow cops at the 26th Precinct in upper Manhattan wondered if they really had been working with a cannibal.
Why NYPD Couldn’t Cook The ‘Cannibal Cop’|Michael Daly|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The headline: "Three Englishmen Saved From Boiling Pot By Cannibal Chief, Who Was Friend at Oxford."
The Story Behind The World’s Greatest Headline|Brandy Zadrozny|January 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And cruder devices certainly deepen the effect of a name; Caliban is a rough anagram of “cannibal,” and Cassio contains an “ass.”
What’s in a Name? Writers and Their Anthroponymy|Anthony Paletta|February 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Cannibal Cop may end up being saved by his own sick and shameful words.
Cannibal Cop May Be Saved by His Own Words|Michael Daly|February 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They admit that a Feejee cannibal has just the same "mighty and transcendent soul" that they themselves have.
Gospel Philosophy|J. H. Ward
I knew that an Irishman could become anything from a poet to a policeman, but I never heard of one becoming a cannibal before.
The Whale and the Grasshopper|Seumas O'Brien
The Prince of Taranto, while speaking and acting like a cannibal, was following the inspiration of an atrocious policy.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman|Eugne Sue
The dark type, which is black, is of a very low order, and in some of the islands still retains its cannibal habits.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
She roasted some meat, a cannibal smelt it, and went to the cave, but found the door fastened.
Nights With Uncle Remus|Joel Chandler Harris

British Dictionary definitions for cannibal

cannibal

/ (ˈkænɪbəl) /

noun

a person who eats the flesh of other human beings
(as modifier)cannibal tribes

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

Word Origin for cannibal

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

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

cannibal

Origin of cannibal

OTHER WORDS FROM cannibal

Words nearby cannibal

Words related to cannibal

How to use cannibal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cannibal

Word Origin for cannibal