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

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
And, costume-character carnage aside, that’s just not as compelling. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026 She is wounded, in this new book, by the carnage in Gaza, as well as by assaults on the rights of immigrants, the LGBTQ community, women, the poor—in effect, anyone who isn’t straight, healthy, and white. — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 Amid the carnage and chaos, and her desperate outreach to authorities and locals, Sharma sent a message to her missing parents themselves. — Laura Saravia, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026 The tiny and quick drones are being deployed in an increasing number of school districts – part of a growing school security industry as parents and schools find new ways to protect students and staff from carnage. — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 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 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

carnage

noun
car·​nage ˈkär-nij How to pronounce carnage (audio)
: great destruction of life (as in battle) : slaughter
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All