carnivorous

[kahr-niv-er-uhs]

adjective

1. flesh-eating.

   A dog is a carnivorous animal.

   Synonyms: predacious, predatory

2. of the carnivores.

carnivorous

/ kɑːˈnɪvərəs /

adjective

1. (esp of animals) feeding on flesh

2. (of plants such as the pitcher plant and sundew) able to trap and digest insects and other small animals

3. of or relating to the Carnivora

4. informal,  aggressively ambitious or reactionary

Other Word Forms

• carnivorism noun
• carnivorously adverb
• carnivorousness noun
• noncarnivorous adjective
• noncarnivorously adverb
• noncarnivorousness noun
• uncarnivorous adjective
• uncarnivorously adverb
• uncarnivorousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of carnivorous¹

1640–50; < Latin carnivorus, equivalent to carni- (combining form of carō flesh) + -vorus -vorous

Word History and Origins

Origin of carnivorous¹

C17: from Latin carnivorus, from carō flesh + vorāre to consume

Example Sentences

Scattered over the bean base, it adds weight and richness, the carnivorous note that makes this dip feel like dinner, not just an appetizer.

From Salon

Tyrannosauroids are the superfamily of carnivorous dinosaurs that walked on two legs.

From BBC

Keep an eye out for California pitcher plant, a native carnivorous plant.

From Los Angeles Times

A naked mole rat is seen in a display enclosure of a new building for small mammals, birds, carnivorous plants and insectivorous animals at the zoological-botanical garden in Stuttgart.

From Salon

The carnivorous mammals are classed as an invasive species in the islands, and a culling programme for stoats began in 2019.

From BBC