carnivorous
Americanadjective
-
flesh-eating.
A dog is a carnivorous animal.
- Synonyms:
- predacious, predatory
-
of the carnivores.
adjective
-
(esp of animals) feeding on flesh
-
(of plants such as the pitcher plant and sundew) able to trap and digest insects and other small animals
-
of or relating to the Carnivora
-
informal aggressively ambitious or reactionary
Other Word Forms
- carnivorism noun
- carnivorously adverb
- carnivorousness noun
- noncarnivorous adjective
- noncarnivorously adverb
- noncarnivorousness noun
- uncarnivorous adjective
- uncarnivorously adverb
- uncarnivorousness noun
Etymology
Origin of carnivorous
1640–50; < Latin carnivorus, equivalent to carni- (combining form of carō flesh) + -vorus -vorous
Explanation
Vegetables? Forget it. If you're into eating meat, meat and more meat, then you're carnivorous. Not surprisingly, the adjective carnivorous can be traced back to the Latin word for "flesh." Carnivorous eaters get their fill of other animals, so they've also got a reputation for being savage or predatory. So anyone who stalks around like a lion on the hunt could also be described as carnivorous, even if they're a card-carrying vegetarian.
Vocabulary lists containing carnivorous
Mockingbird
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The Sea of Monsters
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 14–August 20, 2021
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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.
Prof McCracken said farmers could take some "comfort" from the success of the Scotland project but can understand their ongoing concerns because of discussions around reintroducing other carnivorous predators like lynx.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
Red foxes are one of the most prevalent carnivorous mammals globally and are found in Europe, Asia and North America as well as in parts of Africa.
From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026
During the Early Cretaceous period, when it lived, small carnivorous dinosaurs hunted in the same ecosystems.
From Science Daily • Feb. 18, 2026
We were determined to make it to Raccoon Island, and along the way spotted dolphins, iguanas, carnivorous birds and more, both coming and going.
From Salon • Feb. 2, 2026
And for a moment, she was more undone by this girl’s beauty than by the carnivorous snake.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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.
