What does anthropophagic mean?
Anthropophagic is an adjective describing anything related to the eating of human flesh — in plain terms, cannibalism. Derived from Greek roots meaning 'human' (anthrōpos) and 'to eat' (phagein), it is the adjective form of anthropophagy, the formal term for the practice itself. The word appears chiefly in academic contexts: anthropology, archaeology, history, and literary criticism, where writers discuss anthropophagic rituals, customs, or imagery with precision that the more casual word 'cannibalistic' does not always convey. Because cannibalism is among the most powerful taboos across human societies, the term inevitably carries dark, sensational connotations, and colonial-era accounts often applied it loosely or unfairly to foreign peoples. Today it serves as a precise, scholarly label for a rare but historically documented phenomenon, useful when a writer wants gravity and accuracy rather than shock value.
adjectiveRelating to or characterized by the eating of human flesh; of or pertaining to cannibalism.
- Relating to or involving the practice of eating human flesh; cannibalistic.
"Early European accounts often described certain tribes as anthropophagic, though such reports were frequently exaggerated."
"The explorers returned with lurid tales of anthropophagic rites among the island's inhabitants."
"Some scholars argue that certain ancient funerary customs were anthropophagic rather than purely symbolic."
From Greek roots meaning literally 'human-eating,' this word turns one of humanity's oldest taboos into a precise scientific term.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anthropophagic
Anthropophagic derives from Greek: anthrōpos ('human being') combined with phagein ('to eat'), forming the noun anthropophagia or anthropophagy, from which the adjective was formed. The concept entered Latin as anthropophagus and passed into European learned usage during the Renaissance, when accounts of New World peoples revived classical descriptions of man-eaters. It shares its two Greek roots with many common words — anthrōpos gives us anthropology, anthropoid, philanthropy, and misanthrope, while phagein underlies terms such as sarcophagus ('flesh-eater') and the modern scientific suffix -phagous.
Related word forms
How anthropophagic is actually used
A formal, scholarly term found mainly in anthropology, history, and literary criticism; 'cannibalistic' is far more common in everyday English. The word carries strong connotations of savagery and taboo, and has sometimes been used pejoratively in colonial-era writing about other cultures.
Easily confused with anthropophagic
Anthropomorphic means attributing human characteristics to non-human things, whereas anthropophagic means relating to the eating of human flesh.