carnage

noun

car·​nage ˈkär-nij How to pronounce carnage (audio)
Synonyms of carnage
1
: the flesh of slain animals or humans
… a multitude of dogs came to feast on the carnage.—T. B. Macaulay
2
: great and usually bloody slaughter or injury (as in battle)
the carnage of war

Synonyms of carnage

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Examples of carnage in a Sentence

Reporters described the highway accident as a scene of carnage. the appalling carnage in that war-torn country requires that the outside world intervene
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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After the 2023 carnage, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (which owns and operates the center) applied visible markers — a film of tiny dots — to the glass, reducing bird collisions by 95%, according to an analysis by the Field Museum. — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 So too, the possibility of Rollerball-style carnage carnivals where robots compete in vicious cage matches until only one android is still moving. — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Stocks are higher on Monday as investors assess last week's tech carnage and buy the pullbacks in chip stocks. — Kevin Stankiewicz,jeff Marks, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026 Some people experienced them as a purely optical means of aesthetic transport; others found in them tactile accumulations of crust, carnage, and debris. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for carnage

Word History

Etymology

French, from Medieval Latin carnaticum tribute consisting of animals or meat, from Latin carn-, caro — see carnal

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of carnage was in 1614

Browse Nearby Words

Carnacian
carnage
carnal
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Carnage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carnage. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

carnage

noun
car·​nage ˈkär-nij How to pronounce carnage (audio)
: great destruction of life (as in battle) : slaughter
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