Meaning & use
charneled
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“charneled” is a form of “charnel”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounliteraryrare
Placed in a charnel house, or filled with bones and corpses.
Grammar: Used mainly before a noun in literary writing: charneled vaults.
Patterns
- charneled vaults
- charneled ground
The old abbey had charneled vaults beneath the floor.
Poets sometimes describe a battlefield as charneled ground.
Common combinations
- charneled vaults
- The story takes place in the charneled vaults under the church.
- charneled ground
- After the siege, the fields were described as charneled ground.
- a charneled crypt
- They found bones stacked in a charneled crypt.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bone-filled
- Plain and literal where charneled is literary and grim.
- gruesome
- Describes something horrifying; charneled specifically means full of dead bodies or bones.
Word family
- charnel noun
- A building or vault where human bones are kept.
- charnel house noun
- A place for storing human remains.
Commonly confused: charneled or channeled? charneled or charnel?
charneled vs channeled
Sounds similar but means directed along a route or having channels; charneled relates to bones and death.
charneled vs charnel
The noun or attributive form; charneled is the adjective meaning 'put in a charnel' or 'full of bones'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'charneled' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Charneled' is a rare literary adjective meaning full of bones or placed in a charnel house, so it fits 'a charneled crypt'. The other options use it as a verb of movement or control, which does not exist.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “charneled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.