hyena
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hyena
1350–1400; Middle English hiena < Medieval Latin hyēna, Latin hyaena < Greek hýaina, equivalent to hy- (stem of hŷs ) hog + -aina feminine suffix; replacing Middle English hyane, hyene < Middle French hiene < Latin
Compare meaning
How does hyena compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Hyenas, the most common carnivores in Africa, are medium-sized animals that resemble dogs but are more closely related to cats. Though they're famous for their creepy laugh, only one species of hyena makes a giggling noise. Spotted hyenas are the largest of the four distinct hyena species, and they're also the one variety that emits a laugh-like sound when they're being submissive to another animal. These tough carnivores have powerful jaws and teeth that allow them to eat nearly anything, including the bones of dead mammals. Hyena derives from a root word that means "pig," but they aren't related to pigs either — they have their own unique mammalian family, Hyaenidae.
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.
After the vessel transporting his family from India to Canada sinks, Pi escapes to a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a tiger—and his situation gets more complicated with each passing day.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
The team followed four animal families - leopards, hyena, wild dogs and lions - in Zambia's Luangwa Valley, capturing rare moments and revealing the intricate dynamics of life in one of Africa's wildest regions.
From BBC • Nov. 3, 2025
Marin, who would end up voicing a hyena in the 1994 animated film, makes another braying donkey noise.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025
While female-dominated hyena societies may not strike some as technically "queer," the same cannot be said of the countless male lions who spend most of their time in all-male groups called coalitions.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2024
I look that way and oops, there’s Gene, doing his best impression of a fixated hyena or grizzly or something.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
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.
