carapace
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of carapace
1830–40; < French < Spanish carapacho, of obscure origin
Explanation
Carapace is a scientific term for protective shell. Turtles and crabs have them, but humans don't — so we make do with bike helmets and elbow pads. Otherwise known as outerwear for arthropods and turtles, carapace is a word you probably won't come across very often, unless you're a zoologist. But that doesn't mean you can't use it to describe someone who's a tough nut to crack. If a person has a gruff attitude meant to protect them emotionally, they've certainly enclosed themselves in a carapace of sorts.
Vocabulary lists containing carapace
Into the Wild
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Brave New World
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The Sun Is Also a Star
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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.
Johnson’s carapace is detailed with skin-like textures, swollen bicep veins and living tattoos that offer him encouragement and advice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
The suit -- called a carapace -- is about 70% complete and covers each major region of the body.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2024
It had stubby limbs and a flattened carapace, suggesting that—unlike modern sea turtles—this ancient reptile lived along shallow coastlines.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 22, 2023
Polished, urbane and preternaturally prepared, Cornwell’s sometimes mischievous demeanor forms a kind of shadow narrative, a fascinating carapace that Morris’s interrogatory arrows fail to fully pierce.
From New York Times ● Oct. 19, 2023
The insults bounced off their carapace of thick stupidity; they stared at him with a blank expression of dull and sullen resentment in their eyes.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
