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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.

It was a bit of a carnage, but you wouldn't have it any other way.

From BBC

Gillian Haycock said it was "carnage" as she tried to keep her residents safe.

From BBC

You can see the carnage in the share prices of many of the firms most exposed to the industry.

From MarketWatch

But it also holds out the possibility, through the destiny of Dicey’s baby, of a more hopeful future emerging from the carnage and injustice of history.

From The Wall Street Journal

Probably the weirdest reaction to potential carnage was during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.