carnivorous

American  

[kahr-niv-er-uhs] / kɑrˈnɪv ər əs /

adjective

1. flesh-eating.

   A dog is a carnivorous animal.

   Synonyms:

   predacious, predatory

2. of the carnivores.

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carnivorous British  

/ kɑːˈnɪvərəs /

adjective

1. (esp of animals) feeding on flesh

2. (of plants such as the pitcher plant and sundew) able to trap and digest insects and other small animals

3. of or relating to the Carnivora

4. informal aggressively ambitious or reactionary

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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

Example Sentences

During the Early Cretaceous period, when it lived, small carnivorous dinosaurs hunted in the same ecosystems.

From Science Daily

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

Modern research shows that all carnivorous species consume carrion to some degree.

From Science Daily

They weren’t allowed to experiment with mammals, including rats, so they isolated tissue samples from anglerfish, the carnivorous bottom-feeders with razor sharp teeth.

From The Wall Street Journal

These efforts give me just enough time and space to dive diagonally out of the carnivorous thicket.

From Literature