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

The show tells the stories of young soldiers caught in the abyss of the Vietnam War and the protest movement that sought to end the carnage. —Brent Lang, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025

Even with Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland sidelined by a toe issue for the second consecutive game, the carnage remained almost effortless for Cleveland. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2025

What all his films have in common is an intellectual curiosity as fierce as the carnage. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025

Both try to hash out how a family photo figures into the carnage and what role a mysterious woman (Oakland native Daniella Pineda) at the crime scene plays in it. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2025

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