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

Ripping the band-aid off and noting the unfortunate carnage now will give you a clear idea of where your to-do list should begin. —Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2026

Wielding his ancient rulebook, the Lawyer spends much of the movie watching the carnage occur as a pair of sadistic twins (Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy) and other hunters try to track down and murder Grace and Faith (Kathryn Newton), her estranged sister who gets roped into this mess. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026

Howe’s first excursion into the Champions League stretched the squad to translucency, while executive churn, financial restrictions and then a summer of carnage in the transfer market have been challenges to overcome. —George Caulkin, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026

Those are good questions, but the hotel’s larger geography is never really laid out, and the action scenes — although filled with cartoonish violence — never seem to have any objective beyond the carnage itself. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 18 Mar. 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