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

Plus, there are greenhouses, seed labs and carnivorous plants all over. —Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025

The carnivorous marine reptiles ranged from the size of a briefcase to larger than a school bus. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 16 July 2025

The book is centered on a woman who has just lost her job and her fiancé and ends up employed by a flower shop where her co-workers include a beautiful shop manager and a carnivorous, sentient orchid. —Brooke Sopelsa, NBC news, 4 July 2025

Made for a minimum of two people, the carnivorous feast trots out family-style platters of rib-eye, branzino, chorizo and more, along with sides like crispy artichoke and roasted sweet potato. —Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for carnivorous

• herbivorous
• omnivorous
• insectivorous

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