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Meaning & use

Carthaginian

adjective, noun·Advanced

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UK/ˌkɑːθəˈdʒɪniən/
US/ˌkɑːrθəˈdʒɪniən/

Meanings

  1. adjectivenot comparablespecialist

    Connected with Carthage, the ancient North African city, or with its people and culture.

    Grammar: Usually before a noun and always capitalized: the Carthaginian fleet.

    Patterns

    • Carthaginian army
    • Carthaginian general

    The Carthaginian army crossed the Alps with war elephants.

    Historians study Carthaginian trade routes across the Mediterranean.

    A Carthaginian coin was found in the excavation.

  2. nouncountablespecialist

    A person who lived in ancient Carthage or came from it.

    Grammar: Countable and capitalized: a Carthaginian, the Carthaginians.

    Patterns

    • the Carthaginians

    The Carthaginians were famous sailors and traders.

    Rome fought three wars against the Carthaginians.

    Hannibal was the most famous Carthaginian.

Word forms

pluralCarthaginians

Common combinations

Carthaginian general
The Carthaginian general Hannibal surprised Rome.
Carthaginian empire
The Carthaginian empire once controlled much of the western Mediterranean.
Carthaginian fleet
The Carthaginian fleet lost at sea to the Romans.
Carthaginian peace
The phrase 'Carthaginian peace' describes a harsh settlement that destroys the loser.
Carthaginian ruins
Tourists visit the Carthaginian ruins near Tunis.

Synonyms and how they differ

Punic
Punic is the Latin-derived word for Carthaginian language, wars and culture, and it appears in set phrases like Punic Wars.
Phoenician
Phoenician covers the wider seafaring civilization from which Carthage was founded, so it is broader than Carthaginian.

Opposites

Roman

Word family

Carthage noun
the ancient city-state in present-day Tunisia
Punic adjective
relating to Carthage or its language
Hannibal noun
the Carthaginian general famed for crossing the Alps

Commonly confused: Carthaginian or Carthage? Carthaginian or Carthusian?

Carthaginian vs Carthage

Carthage is the city; Carthaginian describes people or things connected to it.

Carthaginian vs Carthusian

Carthusian refers to a strict Catholic monastic order and has nothing to do with ancient Carthage.

Practice

Hannibal, who led elephants over the Alps against Rome, was a ___ general.

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