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

This is a war film in style and substance, emphasizing the mental exhaustion of a country that cannot handle any more carnage. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026

The unflinching depiction of the human toll of the kaiju carnage heightens the stakes, but it’s used to address larger themes as well. — James Grebey, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026

The collision Wednesday morning that turned a sleepy stretch of rail lined by olive groves into a scene of carnage came just four weeks before the country votes in a national election. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026

And just a few months before giving this talk at the Filmart, Dad had recorded the carnage on both these fronts. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 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