What does "carnism" mean?
The human ideology that supports the slaughter of certain animals and the consumption of their meat or other products (leather from skin, etc).
Carnism
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The human ideology that supports the slaughter of certain animals and the consumption of their meat or other products (leather from skin, etc).
- Grammar: carnism is listed as noun.
- Useful contrasts: vegetarianism.
- Usage evidence: Mass terms like “meat,” “hamburger,” and “leather” used instead of “dead animal,” “cow,” or “skin” encourage consumers to forget that they are eating or using a dead animal. ... The commercial influence of a pervasive and legalized meat industry is strong, which may account for why speciesism and the ideology of carnism are cultural values that Freeman found national news tends to impose on audiences, naturalizing and legitimizing the exploitation of farmed animals.
How to use "carnism"
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Source and review context
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The human ideology that supports the slaughter of certain animals and the consumption of their meat or other products (leather from skin, etc). uncountable
"Mass terms like “meat,” “hamburger,” and “leather” used instead of “dead animal,” “cow,” or “skin” encourage consumers to forget that they are eating or using a dead animal. ... The commercial influence of a pervasive and legalized meat industry is strong, which may account for why speciesism and the ideology of carnism are cultural values that Freeman found national news tends to impose on audiences, naturalizing and legitimizing the exploitation of farmed animals."
- 2 The practice of eating animal meat or using animal products (leather, etc). uncountable
"Now we need a universal consensus about standards of decency toward ecosystems, individuals from other species, and Earth. We cannot do this unless we end carnism."
Antonyms
Example
"Mass terms like “meat,” “hamburger,” and “leather” used instead of “dead animal,” “cow,” or “skin” encourage consumers to forget that they are eating or using a dead animal. ... The commercial influence of a pervasive and legalized meat industry is strong, which may account for why speciesism and the ideology of carnism are cultural values that Freeman found national news tends to impose on audiences, naturalizing and legitimizing the exploitation of farmed animals."
Common questions
How do you use "carnism" in a sentence?
Mass terms like “meat,” “hamburger,” and “leather” used instead of “dead animal,” “cow,” or “skin” encourage consumers to forget that they are eating or using a dead animal. ... The commercial influence of a pervasive and legalized meat industry is strong, which may account for why speciesism and the ideology of carnism are cultural values that Freeman found national news tends to impose on audiences, naturalizing and legitimizing the exploitation of farmed animals.
Etymology
From the Latin root carnis (“flesh, meat”), + -ism. Coined by American psychologist Melanie Joy as an antonym of vegetarianism.