cannibalism

noun

can·​ni·​bal·​ism ˈka-nə-bə-ˌli-zəm 

1

: the usually ritualistic eating of human flesh by a human being

2

: the eating of the flesh of an animal by another animal of the same kind

3

: an act of cannibalizing something

cannibalistic

ˌka-nə-bə-ˈli-stik 

adjective

Examples of cannibalism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: The Biggest Differences Between the Book and Movie There is one subtle cannibalism scene The film opens with a flashback of a young Coriolanus Snow and his cousin Tigris during the Dark Days when the Capitol was in ruins and food was scarce. —Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023

In 60 percent of those nests not a single larva survived, most commonly because of whole-clutch cannibalism: the male had gobbled up hundreds of eggs. —Carolyn Wilke, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2023

When the story opens, the girl has just snuck out of the Jamestown fort—the inhabitants have descended into cannibalism—and run away from her employers. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2023

The new episodes saw the teens facing brutal hardship in the rough winter, including their first steps into cannibalism and the loss of Shauna's baby. —Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 May 2023

Sometimes victims would be worshipped as gods before having their hearts torn out; sometimes Aztecs engaged in ritual cannibalism, eating human flesh to commune with the gods. —Sam Kriss, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023

Wanga: To stop the cannibalism of the local fashion industry. —Essence, 3 Oct. 2023

That being said, the team didn’t find overwhelming evidence that the prehistoric people – who hailed from 3,000 years to 6,000 years ago – practiced more extensive cannibalism. —Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 22 Sep. 2023

But what if another creature could produce ostensibly the same material in bulk, without all the cannibalism? —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 Sep. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cannibalism

noun

can·​ni·​bal·​ism ˈkan-ə-bə-ˌliz-əm 

1

: the eating of human flesh by a human being

2

: the eating of the flesh of an animal by another animal of the same kind

cannibalistic

ˌkan-ə-bə-ˈlis-tik 

adjective

Medical Definition

cannibalism

noun

can·​ni·​bal·​ism -bə-ˌliz-əm 

1

: the usually ritualistic eating of human flesh by a human being

2

: the eating of the flesh or the eggs of any animal by its own kind

3

: the pecking and tearing of the live flesh of its own members in a domestic poultry flock compare pecking order

4

: oral sadism