carnivorous

[kahr-niv-er-uhs]

adjective

1. flesh-eating.

   A dog is a carnivorous animal.

   Synonyms: predacious, predatory

2. of the carnivores.

carnivorous

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• carnivorism noun
• carnivorously adverb
• carnivorousness noun
• noncarnivorous adjective
• noncarnivorously adverb
• noncarnivorousness noun
• uncarnivorous adjective
• uncarnivorously adverb
• uncarnivorousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of carnivorous¹

1640–50; < Latin carnivorus, equivalent to carni- (combining form of carō flesh) + -vorus -vorous

Word History and Origins

Origin of carnivorous¹

C17: from Latin carnivorus, from carō flesh + vorāre to consume

Example Sentences

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

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Mama Woof smiled in her fashion, which is to say she pulled her carnivorous lips back over those razor-sharp teeth.

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A newly identified carnivorous reptile may look like a dinosaur at first glance, but researchers have confirmed that it was actually an early relative of modern crocodiles.

Read more on Science Daily

It was a medium-sized, fast-moving predator that evolved after the extinction of other large carnivorous dinosaurs.

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Some carnivorous pitcher plants reflect UV light as part of their display, using colour, scent and nectar to lure prey.

Read more on BBC