CARNIVOROUS Synonyms: 18 Similar and Opposite Words

carnivorous

adjective

Definition of carnivorous

as in aggressive

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of carnivorous Temperate Carnivorous Plants Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula) and North American pitcher plants (Sarracenia) are quite unique thanks to their bug-eating habits, but these carnivorous plants are poorly suited to indoor life. — Rachel Gillett, Martha Stewart, 18 Sep. 2026 The Tasmanian tiger, which went extinct almost a century ago, had a huge skull and a lethal snap — a rare combination for a carnivorous mammal. — Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026 Nature has blessed certain types of carnivorous plants with pretty colors, pleasant fragrances, and sticky, sugary emissions, all the better to attract and trap its prey. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2026 Advertisement The manosphere is drenched in blood-red carnivorous encomiums. — Michael Kimmel, Time, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for carnivorous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnivorous

Adjective

The son of a onetime Republican who worked for President Ronald Reagan, Colom garnered attention for his aggressive campaign as Democrats widened the Senate battleground map and Hyde-Smith's vulnerabilities crystallized.

— BILL BARROW, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026
In an October report, Goldman Sachs observed that intense competition and aggressive discounting by global brands had dominated the retail landscape.

— Denni Hu, Footwear News, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of aggressive

Adjective

Reducing Gulliver’s Travels to only a topsy-turvy tale of humans both tiny and massive is to ignore the savage intellect that penned its words.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
In ancient, supposedly more savage times, public killings were common.

— Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of savage

Adjective

Putin chose to perpetrate one of his deadliest and most damaging attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure at the very moment American media was singularly focused on election results.

— Bob Kustra, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
The Egyptian railway system, the oldest in Africa and the Middle East, has a long history of deadly accidents.

— Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of deadly

Adjective

The scale-rich designs absorbed sudden, violent impacts without buckling, offered a massive range of tunable stiffness, and successfully cushioned delicate objects embedded deep inside them.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026
At night, our tent offered a fragile haven from the elements, rocking back and forth like a ship in the violent winds that Werba had predicted.

— John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of violent

Adjective

The rising, warming sea and ferocious winter storms have battered the road.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
One of the most celebrated objects from the India Museum is a mechanical wooden sculpture of a ferocious tiger gnawing at a British soldier’s throat.

— Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of ferocious

Adjective

Watch out for predatory practices, like APRs above 36%, and be wary of lenders that guarantee approval or demand an upfront payment in exchange for a loan.

— Dan Avery,Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
Hamilton's campaign used one of those former patients in an attack ad, and five days before Election Day that patient sued Marshall for allegedly charging a predatory interest rate.

— Grace Hills, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of predatory

Adjective

But many others are unpopular and have faced fierce opposition.

— Joe Heim, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026
The once-fierce rivalry, which accounted for five Stanley Cup titles from 1996-2002, has cooled significantly since Detroit moved to the Eastern Conference and the teams have not been competitive at the same time.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of fierce

Adjective

Meanwhile, Hester is fighting her own rapacious and unreasonable enemy in a parallel drama that never folds into the main plot.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2026
The mythical image of the chivalrous mobster offered a way to ease the humiliating memory of losing the war and carried a nationalist charge, exploited in movies set amid black markets, rapacious Americans, and panpan girls.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of rapacious

Browse Nearby Words

carnivores

carnivorous

caroche

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Carnivorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnivorous. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of carnivorous

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

boilerplate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes