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

: rapacious

carnivorously adverb

carnivorousness noun

carnivory

kär-ˈni-və-rē 

noun

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

Shortly thereafter, Munich paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach studied the partial skeleton and assigned it to the genus Carcharodontosaurus, a large, carnivorous theropod that lived in Northwest Africa between 100 and 94 million years ago. —Leslie Katz, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025

The 30-foot-tall carnivorous theropod was a fearsome predator with three-toed claws who walked on two hind legs and resembled something similar to a Velociraptor. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025

At one point early on in the show, your character has to pull a carnivorous living organism out of his forearm — and the monsters only get stranger as the season progresses. —Max Gao, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025

There's even a dedicated vegan menu – a surprising find in this famously carnivorous corner of the world – and, for the less adventurous, a selection of Italian pastas and sandwiches. —Scott Campbell, theweek, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin carnivorus, from carn-, caro + -vorus -vorous

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids 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