What does cannibalism mean?
Cannibalism is the act of eating the flesh of members of one's own species. Most often it refers to humans consuming human flesh, a practice regarded across nearly all cultures as a severe taboo, though archaeological and historical evidence shows it has occurred in rituals, famines, warfare, and cases of extreme survival. The word also applies to the animal kingdom: certain spiders, insects, sharks, and rodents consume their own kind, sometimes described with terms like 'sexual cannibalism'. In modern commercial language, the related noun 'cannibalization' describes a company's new product reducing demand for its own older products, a figurative extension of the same idea. Because of its dark subject matter, the word carries intense negative connotations and is used in serious anthropological, historical, zoological, and journalistic writing rather than casual conversation. Understanding it illuminates both human cultural history and the vocabulary of taboo.
nounThe practice of eating the flesh of one's own species, especially of humans eating other humans. By extension, it also refers to animals or businesses consuming members of their own kind.
- The act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other humans.
- The eating of flesh of members of one's own species among non-human animals (e.g. some spiders, sharks, and rodents).
- (Figurative/commercial) The practice of a company taking sales from its own existing products, known as market cannibalization.
"Archaeological evidence suggests that ritual cannibalism was practiced by some ancient communities."
"After the plane crashed in the Andes, the survivors resorted to cannibalism to stay alive."
"Some species of praying mantis exhibit sexual cannibalism, in which the female consumes her mate."
Cannibalism is almost always used as an uncountable noun. A plural form exists only in rare academic contexts referring to distinct instances or types of the practice.
"The study catalogued various cannibalisms documented across different cultures."
The word 'cannibal' comes from 'Caniba', a Spanish rendering of the Carib people's name — Columbus's sailors mistook them for man-eaters, and an entire word for humanity's darkest taboo was born from a misunderstanding.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cannibalism
Cannibalism derives from 'cannibal', which in turn comes from the Spanish 'caníbal' or 'caríbal', a variant of 'Caribe', referring to the Carib peoples of the Caribbean encountered by Christopher Columbus on his voyages in the late 15th century. European accounts, whether accurate or exaggerated, associated the Caribs with the eating of human flesh, and the name came to denote any person who ate human flesh. The abstract noun 'cannibalism' formed from 'cannibal' entered English usage around the early 17th century.
How cannibalism is actually used
Cannibalism is a formal, uncountable noun with strong negative connotations, as it names what is widely considered humanity's most profound taboo. It appears in anthropology, history, zoology, and journalism. In business contexts, the derived term 'cannibalization' is preferred when describing one product eroding another's sales.
Easily confused with cannibalism
'Cannibalism' refers to eating members of one's own species; 'carnival' is a festive public celebration — they share only a superficial phonetic resemblance.