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

Both follow a soccer team whose members start to exhibit cult-like behavior and contemplate cannibalism after crash landing in a remote location. —Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2025

Andrew Kim, lab manager at Sunflower Star Lab, a nonprofit that leads research and conservation to recover the species, tilted his computer screen on a Zoom call to show dozens of young stars housed individually — due to rampant cannibalism — in what looked like plastic Tupperware. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025

Season two saw the ‘90s Yellowjackets surviving a brutal winter that involved their first forays into cannibalism and increasing tensions among the team. —Helen Murphy, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025

Tantalus dared to tempt—to tantalize—the Olympians with that great taboo, cannibalism. —Daniel Seifert, JSTOR Daily, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cannibalism

• activism
• ageism
• albinism
• altruism
• aneurism
• animism
• aphorism
• atomism
• barbarism
• bolshevism
• botulism
• brahmanism

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