carnivorous
adjective
car·niv·o·rous
kär-ˈni-v(ə-)rəs 
1
: subsisting or feeding on animal tissues
2
of a plant
: subsisting on nutrients obtained from the breakdown of animal protoplasm (as of insects)
3
: of or relating to the carnivores
4
Did you know?
The order of mammals that Linnaeus named the Carnivora includes such families as the dogs, the bears, the raccoons, the weasels, the hyenas, the cats, and the seals. Most carnivores eat only meat in the wild, but some have varied diets; some bears, for instance, normally eat far more vegetation than meat. Carnivores have powerful jaws and complex teeth, and most are highly intelligent. Humans, like their ape cousins, are basically omnivores.
Examples of carnivorous in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lead actor Nathan Meister returns to the role of Henry Oldfield, the sheep-phobic son of a farmer who discovers his twisted older brother has been carrying out dangerous genetic experiences on his livestock, which transform them from docile vegetarians to ruthless, carnivorous killers.
—
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
The landscape also included large primates, rodents, snakes, crabs — and even carnivorous marsupials.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024
Each episode is written and directed by a different team and gives a different flavor of scare, so while a couple of installments were inspired by H.P. Lovecraft stories, alien entities, ghosts, carnivorous rats, and consumerism pop up throughout the eight installments too.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024
As for plants, there are 57 fern species, 11 orchid species, 29 tree species, nine carnivorous species, and more.
—Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for carnivorous 
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.
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
The landscape also included large primates, rodents, snakes, crabs — and even carnivorous marsupials.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024
Each episode is written and directed by a different team and gives a different flavor of scare, so while a couple of installments were inspired by H.P. Lovecraft stories, alien entities, ghosts, carnivorous rats, and consumerism pop up throughout the eight installments too.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024
As for plants, there are 57 fern species, 11 orchid species, 29 tree species, nine carnivorous species, and more.
—Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for carnivorous
Dictionary Entries Near carnivorous
Cite this Entry
“Carnivorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carnivorous. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
carnivorous
adjective
car·niv·o·rous
kär-ˈniv-(ə-)rəs
1
a
: feeding on animal tissues
b
: trapping and digesting insects
carnivorous plants
2
: of or relating to the carnivores
Medical Definition
carnivorous
adjective
car·niv·o·rous
kär-ˈniv-(ə-)rəs
1
: subsisting or feeding on animal tissues
2
: of or relating to the carnivores
carnivorously
adverb
carnivorousness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share