carnivorous

adjective

car·​niv·​o·​rous kär-ˈni-v(ə-)rəs 

1

: subsisting or feeding on animal tissues

2

of a plant : subsisting on nutrients obtained from the breakdown of animal protoplasm (as of insects)

3

: of or relating to the carnivores

4

: rapacious

carnivorously adverb

carnivorousness noun

carnivory

kär-ˈni-və-rē 

noun

Did you know?

The order of mammals that Linnaeus named the Carnivora includes such families as the dogs, the bears, the raccoons, the weasels, the hyenas, the cats, and the seals. Most carnivores eat only meat in the wild, but some have varied diets; some bears, for instance, normally eat far more vegetation than meat. Carnivores have powerful jaws and complex teeth, and most are highly intelligent. Humans, like their ape cousins, are basically omnivores.

Examples of carnivorous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The physique that made Johnson famous—bulging, vascular, and permanently flushed—was framed as the outcome of his carnivorous discipline. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025

The carnivorous birds, like the mammals, evolved into a broad array of sizes among coexisting species, undoubtedly with different prey preferences and niches. —Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 May 2025

The Thylacine, a carnivorous marsupial, was aggressively hunted to extinction in the course of about 100 years. —Susan Young, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025

Living alongside a spider is not an intuitive life choice for a caterpillar, given that spiders are also carnivorous. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin carnivorus, from carn-, caro + -vorus -vorous

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for carnivorous

• herbivorous
• omnivorous
• insectivorous

Kids Definition

carnivorous

adjective

car·​niv·​o·​rous kär-ˈniv-(ə-)rəs 

1

a

: feeding on animal tissues

b

: trapping and digesting insects

carnivorous plants

2

: of or relating to the carnivores

Medical Definition

carnivorous

adjective

car·​niv·​o·​rous kär-ˈniv-(ə-)rəs 

1

: subsisting or feeding on animal tissues

2

: of or relating to the carnivores

carnivorously adverb

carnivorousness noun