carnage
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of carnage
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French, from Italian carnaggio, from Medieval Latin carnāticum “payment or offering in meat,” equivalent to Latin carn- (stem of carō ) “flesh” + -āticum noun sufffix; see -age
Explanation
Carnage is mass murder. If you have seen news footage of a village after a bomb has been detonated, you probably saw a scene of carnage. Carnage comes from the Latin carnaticum, meaning "flesh" or "slaughter of animals." Carnage is often used to describe the brutal killing of many people, but can also refer to large numbers of animals that have been butchered.
Vocabulary lists containing carnage
Donald Trump Inauguration Address- January 20, 2017
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Persepolis
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Achievement First 7th Grade IA 1 Words
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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.
Even while attending matches at the recent World Cup, where Spain won the title, the actor advocated for an end to the carnage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
People told the BBC the scene was "absolute carnage" but praised the authorities, saying the operation was methodical.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
He went downstairs and found that, in fact, due to the carnage, there would be no flights departing from LaGuardia, which would not reopen until the next day.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
“It’s carnage inside the box, there’s no other word for it,” said former England national team forward Tony Cottee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
He can turn effortlessly from the carnage of war into the felicity of a woman washing her hair in a mountain stream.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
