noun
carnage
KAHR-nij/ˈkɑːrnɪdʒ/
Large-scale violent killing and destruction.
The battle leaves terrible carnage across the once peaceful valley.
Etymology
The Latin ancestor referred to slaughtering animals and was derived from the word for flesh. In English, the emphasis shifted chiefly to the bloody slaughter of people.
In context
He surveys the carnage with the clear eyes of a man who has not been in the maelstrom. Two generals down, columns shattered, the field carpeted with red-coated dead and wounded
More examples
- Survivors struggle to describe the carnage.
- The film depicts the carnage of the war.
- Rescue workers arrive amid scenes of carnage.
Similar words
- massacre
- Emphasizes indiscriminate killing, especially of defenseless people.
- devastation
- Can describe widespread damage without loss of life.