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Synonyms

carnage

American  
[kahr-nij] / ˈkɑr nɪdʒ /

noun

  1. the slaughter of a great number of people, as in battle; butchery; massacre.

  2. fighting or other violence.

    brutal carnage on the football field.

  3. great damage, utter defeat, or chaos.

    We are charting a way forward after the Election Day carnage.

  4. Archaic. dead bodies, as of those slain in battle.

carnage British  
/ ˈkɑːnɪdʒ /

noun

  1. extensive slaughter, esp of human beings in battle

"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

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; -age

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.

Were you watching the carnage at Indianapolis’ Gainsbridge Fieldhouse Sunday?

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2026

Credit also must go to the remarkable Bumrah, who nailed yorkers and delivered slower balls under pressure, and finished with 1-33 amid the carnage.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

Some of the biggest private lenders are getting caught in the carnage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

I wondered how long the reporters will hold fast in Tucson before being plucked off the frontlines to serve the fresher carnage in Buckingham Palace.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

Vikus had come by after the carnage and had sent Gox and Treflex on his bat to the tunnel entrance.

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.