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
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
These pretty pink jellyfish are carnivorous and have stinging tentacles that can reach up to 70 feet long.
—
Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2025
The Huracan genus was first described in 2023 and is considered a larger, carnivorous ancestor of the giant panda, McClatchy News previously reported.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
The movie tells the story of a teenager avenging the deaths of his family at the hands of hordes of carnivorous demons and, against all the odds, it has been embraced by critics and audiences alike.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Ferrets are fast, carnivorous, and pose a threat to small mammals and birds.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
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Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2025
The Huracan genus was first described in 2023 and is considered a larger, carnivorous ancestor of the giant panda, McClatchy News previously reported.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
The movie tells the story of a teenager avenging the deaths of his family at the hands of hordes of carnivorous demons and, against all the odds, it has been embraced by critics and audiences alike.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Ferrets are fast, carnivorous, and pose a threat to small mammals and birds.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carnivorous
Cite this Entry
“Carnivorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carnivorous. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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