cannibalism

American  

[kan-uh-buh-liz-uhm] / ˈkæn ə bəˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. the eating of human flesh by another human being.

2. the eating of the flesh of an animal by another animal of its own kind.

3. the ceremonial eating of human flesh or parts of the human body for magical or religious purposes, as to acquire the power or skill of a person recently killed.

4. the act of pecking flesh from a live fowl by a member of the same flock.

5. the removal of parts, equipment, assets, or employees from one product, item, or business in order to use them in another.

6. the acquisition and absorption of smaller companies by a large corporation or conglomerate.

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cannibalism British  

/ ˈkænɪbəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the act of eating human flesh or the flesh of one's own kind

2. savage and inhuman cruelty

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Other Word Forms

• cannibalistic adjective
• cannibalistically adverb
• noncannibalistic adjective
• noncannibalistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of cannibalism

First recorded in 1790–1800; cannibal + -ism

Explanation

Cannibalism is when people eat people, or another animal eats that type of animal. Of all the bizarre things in the world, cannibalism is near the top of the list. For humans, cannibalism means eating human flesh. This occurs in some primitive societies and among disturbed people such as serial killers. Also, if a group of people are stranded somewhere long enough, they might have to resort to cannibalism to survive. Animals that eat their own kind are also examples of cannibalism. People who engage in cannibalism are called cannibals.

Example Sentences

"Is this cannibalism?" laughed YouTuber Annamarie Forcino in a review posted this week, titled "Fruit Love Island is pure AI slop".

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

So Elise turned to Dr. Leslie Dobson, a forensic psychologist and self-proclaimed Epstein expert with her own robust social media following and a more than passing interest in cannibalism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

Arriving in Los Angeles to pitch the half-baked reality show, she takes the opportunity to lobby “Death and Taxidermy”’s showrunner, unsuccessfully, to rethink the cannibalism and dragons now written into it.

From Salon • Jun. 23, 2025

“Crispy Skin,” from the English experimental rock band Squid’s upcoming third album, “Cowards,” is at once bright and nightmarish — a driving, six-minute post-punk tune inspired by a dystopian novel about cannibalism.

From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2024

The discovery of the New World had fatally undermined any claim that there are some things on which all human beings can agree—here were societies practising nudity and cannibalism.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton