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 of carnage

• 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

But the biggest beef to be had is in Sarnoski’s insistence to bludgeon us with pulverizing violence, which grows tiresome and repetitive in the carnage-spewing initial 30 minutes. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 June 2026

To preserve democracy, Palestinian Americans were being asked to support a member of the administration that repeatedly armed the agents of this carnage. —Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026

The event was a response to the chaos and carnage that ripped through the city. —Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 14 June 2026

Dozens of wave riders, bodyboarders and surfers attempted the steep, shallow drop as the peaks formed, some propelling down the building-size waves with expertise, others wiping out to the gasp of spectators who got a front-row seat on the sand to the carnage. —Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 9 June 2026

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