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carnivorous

/kɑrˈnɪvərəs/
/kɑˈnɪvərəs/
IPA guide

Other forms: carnivorously

Vegetables? Forget it. If you're into eating meat, meat and more meat, then you're carnivorous.

Not surprisingly, the adjective carnivorous can be traced back to the Latin word for "flesh." Carnivorous eaters get their fill of other animals, so they've also got a reputation for being savage or predatory. So anyone who stalks around like a lion on the hunt could also be described as carnivorous, even if they're a card-carrying vegetarian.

Definitions of carnivorous
  1. adjective
    relating to or characteristic of carnivores
    “the lion and other carnivorous animals”
  2. adjective
    (used of plants as well as animals) feeding on animals
    carnivorous plants are capable of trapping and digesting small animals especially insects”
    synonyms:
    flesh-eating, meat-eating, zoophagous
    relating to or describing organisms that feed on animals
    piscivorous
    feeding on fishes
    predaceous, predacious
    hunting and killing other animals for food
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    herbivorous
    feeding only on plants
    omnivorous
    feeding on both plants and animals
    insectivorous
    (of animals and plants) feeding on insects
    anthophagous, anthophilous
    feeding on flowers
    baccivorous
    feeding on berries
    carpophagous, fruit-eating
    feeding on fruit
    grass-eating
    feeding on grasses
    phytophagic, phytophagous, phytophilous, plant-eating
    (of animals) feeding on plants
    saprophagous, saprozoic
    (of certain animals) feeding on dead or decaying animal matter
    saprophytic
    (of some plants or fungi) feeding on dead or decaying organic matter
    all-devouring
    (of animals) both plant-eating and flesh-eating
    apivorous
    feeding on bees
    myrmecophagous
    feeding on ants
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘carnivorous'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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