The locals call this river the "man-eater" and fear it.
Source: tatoeba (3997780)
Man-eater
Synonyms for "man-eater" (82 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: animal, anthropophagite, anthropophagus, assassin, barbarian.
- Sentence evidence is available for man-eater, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from derived_reverse, wordnet.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "man-eater".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "man-eater"
Keep "man-eater" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "man-eater" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "man-eater", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "man-eater" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
Translations
23 translations across 20 languages.
Azerbaijani
1 entries- adamyeyən noun (animal that eats humans)
Belarusian
2 entries- людае́д noun (animal that eats humans)
- людажэ́рца noun (animal that eats humans)
Bulgarian
1 entries- людое́д noun (animal that eats humans)
Chickasaw
1 entries- hattak-apa' noun (animal that eats humans)
Czech
1 entries- lidožrout noun (animal that eats humans)
Danish
1 entries- menneskeæder noun (animal that eats humans)
German
1 entries- Menschenfresser noun (animal that eats humans)
Hindi
2 entries- नरभक्षक noun (animal that eats humans)
- नरभक्षी noun (animal that eats humans)
Hungarian
1 entries- emberevő noun (animal that eats humans)
Icelandic
1 entries- mannæta noun (animal that eats humans)
Latin
1 entries- hominivora noun (animal that eats humans)
Māori
1 entries- mangō-taniwha noun (animal that eats humans)
Persian
1 entries- آدمخوار noun (animal that eats humans)
Polish
1 entries- ludojad noun (animal that eats humans)
Russian
1 entries- людое́д noun (animal that eats humans)
Slovak
1 entries- ľudožrút noun (animal that eats humans)
Spanish
1 entries- comehombres noun (animal that eats humans)
Swedish
1 entries- människoätare noun (animal that eats humans)
Turkish
1 entries- insan yiyici noun (animal that eats humans)
Ukrainian
2 entries- людоже́р noun (animal that eats humans)
- людої́д noun (animal that eats humans)
Sample sentences
9 total sentences available.
Is it a man-eater?
Source: tatoeba (6029464)
And particularly, he knows where to find the primitive substance of the man eater: howsoever evaporate or reduced, as it were, into air or vapour, by sweat or perspiration.
Source: wiktionary
Man-eaters are more newsworthy than three-foot-long harmless sharks with tiny teeth.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 9 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "man-eater"?
Closest matches include animal, anthropophagite, anthropophagus, assassin, barbarian.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "man-eater"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.