marsupial

American  

[mahr-soo-pee-uhl] / mɑrˈsu pi əl /

noun

marsupials plural

1. any viviparous, nonplacental mammal of the order Marsupialia, comprising the opossums, kangaroos, wombats, and bandicoots, the females of most species having a marsupium containing the mammary glands and serving as a receptacle for the young.

---

adjective

1. pertaining to, resembling, or having a marsupium.

2. of or relating to the marsupials.

marsupial British  

/ mɑːˈsjuːpɪəl, -ˈsuː-, -ˌsuː-, mɑːˌsjuːpɪˈeɪlɪən /

noun

1. any mammal of the order Marsupialia, in which the young are born in an immature state and continue development in the marsupium. The order occurs mainly in Australia and South and Central America and includes the opossums, bandicoots, koala, wombats, and kangaroos

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Marsupialia

2. of or relating to a marsupium

marsupial Scientific  

/ mär-so̅o̅′pē-əl /

1. Any of various mammals of the order Marsupialia, whose young are very undeveloped when born and continue developing outside their mother's body attached to one of her nipples. Most marsupials have longer hindlegs than forelimbs, and the females usually have pouches in which they carry their young. Kangaroos, opossums, and koalas are marsupials.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• marsupialian
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• marsupials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of marsupial

First recorded in 1690–1700, marsupial is from the New Latin word marsupiālis pertaining to a pouch. See marsupium, -al ¹

Compare meaning

How does marsupial compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• marsupial vs. mammal

Explanation

Like primates, marsupials are a type of mammal. One thing all members of this family have in common is a pouch. The most famous marsupial is the kangaroo, but there are many others, such as wallabies, opossums, koalas, and wombats. What makes marsupials different from primates or rodents (who are also mammals) is that the mothers have pouches to hold their young. This is because when marsupial babies are born, they're not quite ready for the world, so the pouch gives them a chance to grow and be safe before having to live on their own. When you think marsupial, think "pouch."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

marsupial marsupials

The numbat, a small Australian marsupial once reduced to just a few hundred animals, is making a remarkable comeback thanks to decades of conservation work.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Staff at Hobart Airport in Australia's Tasmania state said the disoriented marsupial was spotted among the stuffed toys on Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026

They suggest that brief, rapid bursts of hopping may have helped some giant kangaroo species avoid predators, including members of an extinct group of marsupial lions known as Thylacoleo.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2026

In recent years, scientists have aimed to clone the Tasmanian tiger or thylacine, an extinct marsupial.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2024

So when a diprotodon, the largest marsupial ever to walk the earth, set eyes for the first time on this frail-looking ape, he probably gave it one glance and then went back to chewing leaves.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

The lifespan benefits of reduced reproduction appeared across a wide range of mammals, including primates, marsupials, and rodents.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 16, 2026

Nor the “bizarrely specialized” family of carnivorous marsupials, Malleodectidae, which used their massive ball peen-like third premolars to crush snails.

From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2025

"They show the world that long before Australia became the land of pouched mammals, marsupials, this was a land of furry egg-layers - monotremes," Ms Smith says.

From BBC ● May 27, 2024

Several types of fish and even some marsupials can also sense electric fields by other mechanisms.

From Science Magazine ● May 20, 2024

How, he wondered, did marsupials travel from South America to Australia?

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson