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

Lead actor Nathan Meister returns to the role of Henry Oldfield, the sheep-phobic son of a farmer who discovers his twisted older brother has been carrying out dangerous genetic experiences on his livestock, which transform them from docile vegetarians to ruthless, carnivorous killers. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024

The landscape also included large primates, rodents, snakes, crabs — and even carnivorous marsupials. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024

Each episode is written and directed by a different team and gives a different flavor of scare, so while a couple of installments were inspired by H.P. Lovecraft stories, alien entities, ghosts, carnivorous rats, and consumerism pop up throughout the eight installments too. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024

As for plants, there are 57 fern species, 11 orchid species, 29 tree species, nine carnivorous species, and more. —Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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