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Synonyms

hyena

American  
[hahy-ee-nuh] / haɪˈi nə /
Or hyaena

noun

  1. a doglike carnivore of the family Hyaenidae, of Africa, southwestern Asia, and south central Asia, having a coarse coat, a sloping back, and large teeth and feeding chiefly on carrion, often in packs.

hyena British  
/ haɪˈiːnə /

noun

  1. any of several long-legged carnivorous doglike mammals of the genera Hyaena and Crocuta, such as C. crocuta ( spotted or laughing hyena ), of Africa and S Asia: family Hyaenidae, order Carnivora (carnivores) See also strandwolf

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • hyenic adjective
  • hyenine adjective

Etymology

Origin of hyena

1350–1400; Middle English hiena < Medieval Latin hyēna, Latin hyaena < Greek hýaina, equivalent to hy- (stem of hŷs ) hog + -aina feminine suffix; replacing Middle English hyane, hyene < Middle French hiene < Latin

Compare meaning

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

After the vessel transporting his family from India to Canada sinks, Pi escapes to a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a tiger—and his situation gets more complicated with each passing day.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

A brown hyena standing beside the ruins of an abandoned diamond mining settlement has earned wildlife photographer Wim van den Heever the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

This is a musical that treasures goofy imperfection, a scene where McInnerny does a funny little tap dance, or the joy in Shannon’s hyena cackle.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2024

While female-dominated hyena societies may not strike some as technically "queer," the same cannot be said of the countless male lions who spend most of their time in all-male groups called coalitions.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2024

I look that way and oops, there’s Gene, doing his best impression of a fixated hyena or grizzly or something.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.