hyena
Americannoun
-
hyenas
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
The company also had to iron out the logistical kinks of night safaris, when visitors might spot a hyena or an elusive leopard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Rare hyena behaviours have been caught on camera, including a mother-to-be trying to steal food from wild dogs and outsmarting rivals by hiding a stolen carcass underwater to mask its scent.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025
This is a musical that treasures goofy imperfection, a scene where McInnerny does a funny little tap dance, or the joy in Shannon’s hyena cackle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024
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
The hyena felt ashamed too and he lowered his head to the ground and howled through his yellow teeth.
From "The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa" by Alexander Mccall Smith
It follows four rival families of lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs as they compete for dominance, with all the shifting alliances, betrayals and power struggles of a prestige drama.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
In drought-hit northeastern Kenya, villagers have been forced to drag their dead livestock to distant fields for burning to keep the stench of death and scavenging hyenas away from their homes.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
Other coprolites contained bones chewed up by predators that, like today's hyenas, crushed bones to obtain salts and marrow.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2024
A few other studies have used an index similar to the human adverse childhood experiences score with wild primates and hyenas, with largely similar results.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2024
They talked and talked and Dad got out some cards and they played a game called Crazy Eights and another one called Pig where they put their fingers on their noses and laughed like hyenas.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
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