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
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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
When asked about Nacho's favorite dish, Flay shared that his cat had a particular fondness for the turkey and salmon varieties, which use high-quality proteins to appeal to a cat's natural carnivorous instincts.
—
Angela Chan-Danisi, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
The fangs were an aspect that took a lot of working out — ultimately the unicorns’ teeth are modeled on mandrill teeth, which are flat in the front but also have more sinister-looking, fang-like incisors, and on wolf teeth as well, given how carnivorous the unicorns end up being.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
All yarrows are attractive to carnivorous, beneficial insects that do an excellent job of keeping insect pests under control.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2025
From the herbivorous Lystrosaurus (not a dinosaur), which looked something like a walrus with legs and a shovel face, to the carnivorous chroniosuchians that resembled giant lizards and fed on insects and small amphibians, the refugium in what is now Xinjiang kept life going.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 18 Mar. 2025
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Angela Chan-Danisi, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
The fangs were an aspect that took a lot of working out — ultimately the unicorns’ teeth are modeled on mandrill teeth, which are flat in the front but also have more sinister-looking, fang-like incisors, and on wolf teeth as well, given how carnivorous the unicorns end up being.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
All yarrows are attractive to carnivorous, beneficial insects that do an excellent job of keeping insect pests under control.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2025
From the herbivorous Lystrosaurus (not a dinosaur), which looked something like a walrus with legs and a shovel face, to the carnivorous chroniosuchians that resembled giant lizards and fed on insects and small amphibians, the refugium in what is now Xinjiang kept life going.
—Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 18 Mar. 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 9 Apr. 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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