cannibal

American  

[kan-uh-buhl] / ˈkæn ə bəl /

noun

cannibals plural

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.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or characteristic of a cannibal.

2. given to cannibalism.

cannibal British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cannibally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cannibals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cannibal

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

Explanation

A cannibal is someone who eats human flesh. It’s a good idea not to get too friendly with one, especially if you’re covered in delicious-smelling spices. The word cannibal comes from the Spanish word caníbalis, which was Christopher Columbus’s version of the word Caribs, the name people from the Caribbean called themselves. They meant Carib as in “brave ones” so something got lost in translation! Most cannibals are fictional — like Queequeg from Moby Dick or Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs. This word can apply to animals that eat their own kind: for example, the cannibal shrimp eats other shrimp. Ew.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cannibal cannibals

Early roles included a cannibal in a commercial for Hertz rent-a-car and an abominable snowman in the 1981 film “Caveman.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2023

These cannibal dads had bulging bellies and a tendency to regurgitate the eggs when handled, the team reported in the American Naturalist.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 1, 2023

Because like the cannibal girls, the song and its singer/songwriter have been terribly misunderstood.

From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2023

In a recent television interview, Mr. Bolsonaro also argued that he was unfairly labeled a cannibal because of “a video from 30 years ago.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2022

With a pair of kitchen tongs, Simon lifted the cannibal book from a vat of bubbling liquid that sat upon a makeshift stove, fashioned out of Bunsen burners from the Swanburne laboratory.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

He battled oversize cannibals, outmaneuvered a witch and lost scores of men at every turn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

When Rodgers finally shows up, Hart turns on the charm, lets slip that he doesn’t actually like the show, and pitches the great composer on one about singing cannibals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025

The U.S. government’s record of service members missing in action does not attribute Finnegan’s death to hostilities nor does it indicate that cannibals were a factor.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024

Just last week, Mr. Biden told two campaign audiences that after being shot down during World War II, his uncle might have been eaten by cannibals in Papua New Guinea.

From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2024

He'd probably twisted the story around so that Tyson and I were the bloodthirsty cannibals.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• anthropophaginian
• anthropophagite
• anthropophagus
• man-eater
• people-eater