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

The very public display of exploding rockets from SpaceX over the last several years has raised more than a few eyebrows of people wondering about the repercussions of where that potential aerospace carnage might come crashing down. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Advertisement Once the carnage gets going, Mitchell never really take his foot off the gas. — Megan McCluskey, Time, 14 Aug. 2026

The utter carnage that follows brings major developments for all the main characters still on the chessboard — and many gruesome deaths by dragon fire, boiling oil, spikes and even catapults. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026

The video shows the moment the carnage began, when the gunman drove up to the drive-thru payment window and fatally shot the first victim, In-N-Out employee Ashley Garibay, according to police. — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 7 Aug. 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