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

New villains, new faces and a new level of action and carnage. — David Hookstead Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026

There’s a debate to be had, though, about whether this approach has saved lives or added to the carnage of America’s terrible drug epidemic. — Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026

Williams’s characters are eventually forced to contend with the carnage of their actions, the way their values—or lack thereof—shape them. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026

The shenanigans are interrupted by news that the French have retaken Fort Douaumont, marking the end of the carnage at Verdun. — Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 18 July 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