carnage

noun

car·​nage ˈkär-nij 

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

• bloodbath
• butchery
• death
• holocaust
• massacre
• slaughter

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

Unlike other horrors, Leone, who serves as editor and director, refuses to cut away at the point of impact, giving the audience a complete (and scarily realistic) view of the carnage. —Jack Dunn, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024

But some level of carnage is typical amongst the men that compete at Rampage, too. —Abigail Barronian, Outside Online, 14 Oct. 2024

Indie slasher pic Terrifier 3 is easily winning a weekend of curiosity and carnage at the domestic box office, where Joker: Folie à Deux is suffering the worst decline in history for a comic book movie and one of the biggest among any film. —Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2024

The Cultural Revolution stands as a textbook example of the depravity and carnage that can result from popular frenzies. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 8 Oct. 2024

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

Kids Definition

carnage

noun

car·​nage ˈkär-nij 

: great destruction of life (as in battle) : slaughter