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carnivorous

[ kahr-niv-er-uhs ]
/ kɑrˈnɪv ər əs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR carnivorous

adjective

flesh-eating: A dog is a carnivorous animal.
of the carnivores.

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Origin of carnivorous

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

SYNONYMS FOR carnivorous

1 meat-eating, predatory, predacious.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR carnivorous

OTHER WORDS FROM carnivorous

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH carnivorous

carnivorous , herbivorous, omnivorous

Words nearby carnivorous

carnival, carnivalesque, carnival glass, Carnivora, carnivore, carnivorous, carnose, Carnot, Carnot cycle, Carnot engine, carnotite
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to carnivorous

cannibal, hungry, omnivorous, predatory, rapacious

Example sentences from the Web for carnivorous

British Dictionary definitions for carnivorous

carnivorous
/ (kɑːˈnɪvərəs) /

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

Derived forms of carnivorous

carnivorously, adverbcarnivorousness, noun

Word Origin for carnivorous

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