Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

charnel

American  
[chahr-nl] / ˈtʃɑr nl /

noun

  1. a repository for dead bodies.


adjective

  1. of, like, or fit for a charnel; deathlike; sepulchral.

charnel British  
/ ˈtʃɑːnəl /

noun

  1. short for charnel house

"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

adjective

  1. ghastly; sepulchral; deathly

"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 charnel

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin carnāle, noun and adjective use of neuter of carnālis carnal

Vocabulary lists containing charnel

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.

Scaled up to a necropolis, it could make the right impression, a modernist Hooverville of death in the shadow of our great national charnel house of inaction.

From Washington Post • May 25, 2022

Television is a veritable charnel house containing the bones of characters who died unnecessary or stupid deaths.

From Salon • Dec. 15, 2021

Above their heads: a charnel house of endangered trees.

From Scientific American • Dec. 15, 2021

I followed her out of the charnel house into a cold, heavy rain, spitting bile onto the pavement.

From New York Times • Dec. 17, 2020

The camp soon became a charnel house, for Congress failed to supply the necessary food and clothing, and sickness inevitably resulted.

From The Colonization of North America 1492-1783 by Bolton, Herbert Eugene

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "charnel" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com