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

Israel's place in the contest has become contentious as outrage over the carnage in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran has grown from Rome to Madrid with massive popular protests and European Union politicians mulling new sanctions. —ABC News, 13 May 2026

The plot is said to follow eight friends competing for a prize when their annual holiday gift exchange spirals into a cutthroat game of carnage. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 11 May 2026

Stop the carnage That doesn’t mean the end of accredited zoos. —Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 May 2026

After a bomb levels an apartment complex where Paul lives with his fam, Paul’s daughter Poe (Billie Boullet), an eyewitness to that carnage, becomes the target of vicious drug cartels who want her outta the picture. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 May 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