Meaning & use
cannibal
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person who eats human flesh.
Grammar: Countable noun: one cannibal, two cannibals.
Patterns
- a cannibal tribe
- accused of being a cannibal
The explorer wrote that the island was home to cannibals.
In the story, the cannibal captured three sailors.
Historically, some societies were wrongly labeled as cannibals by outsiders.
nouncountablebiology
An animal that eats others of its own kind.
Grammar: Used especially in biology: a cannibal feeds on members of its own species.
Patterns
- a cannibal species
- cannibal fish
Some spiders are cannibals and will eat their mates.
The cannibal behavior of certain fish helps control their population.
Scientists observed cannibal birds eating the eggs of their own species.
Word forms
| plural | cannibals |
|---|
Common combinations
- cannibal tribe
- The documentary claimed the cannibal tribe no longer exists.
- cannibalistic
- Some animals show cannibalistic tendencies when food is scarce.
- accused of being a cannibal
- He was accused of being a cannibal after the shipwreck.
- cannibal fish
- The cannibal fish preys on smaller members of its own species.
Synonyms and how they differ
- man-eater
- Usually refers to an animal that eats humans, not a human who eats humans.
- anthropophagite
- A very formal or technical term for a person who eats human flesh; rare in everyday speech.
Word family
- cannibalism noun
- The practice of eating one's own kind.
- cannibalistic adjective
- Relating to or practicing cannibalism.
- cannibalize verb
- To use parts from one thing to repair another; also used figuratively.
Commonly confused: cannibal or carnival?
cannibal vs carnival
A carnival is a festive event with music and parades; a cannibal is a person who eats human flesh.
Practice
In the novel, the sailor was afraid he would be eaten by a __________.
Choose one answer.
Only 'cannibal' means a person who eats human flesh. 'Carnival' is a festival, 'cannon' is a large gun, and 'canyon' is a deep valley.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cannibal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.