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

• bloodbath
• butchery
• death
• holocaust
• 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

Despite that sheer carnage, however, the political debate over how to ensure that guns don’t fall into the hands of people who may hurt themselves and others has long proved intractable. —Li Zhou, Vox, 4 Sep. 2024

Indeed, the brutality of Hamas’s October 7 attack and the subsequent carnage in Gaza have made a return to the status quo ante impossible. —Jonathan Lincoln, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2024

Volatility and carnage in the Nasdaq should persist causing more sellers to sell tech stocks. —Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 26 July 2024

Footage shows wary bystanders watching the carnage, some of them filming. —Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 13 Aug. 2024

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