carnival 1 of 2

noun

ˈkär-nə-vəl How to pronounce carnival (audio)
Definition of carnivalnext
as in festival
a time or program of special events and entertainment in honor of something the town's annual Fourth of July carnival

Synonyms & Similar Words

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carnival

2 of 2

adjective

as in carnivalesque

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of carnival
Noun
This egg roll is a tribute to classic American breakfast wrapped in a crispy carnival shell. — Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register, 21 Aug. 2026 My full kit from Insane came with all the bells and whistles expected of carnival costumes these days, including a luxe leather travel bag filled with such goodies as a speaker and an electronic fan. — Baz Dreisinger, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Adjective
The Children’s Zoo encouraged youngsters to feed and pet the animals, but eliminated carnival-style gimmicks that were common in zoos at the time. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2022 The Queen is also expected to attend the Derby, one of her favorite horse race events, a concert at Buckingham Palace and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, a carnival-style celebration during which many artists, including Ed Sheeran, will perform. — Monique Jessen, PEOPLE.com, 12 May 2022 See All Example Sentences for carnival
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnival
  1. festival
  2. carnivalesque
  3. celebration
  4. riotous
  5. festivity
  6. raucous
  7. boisterous
  8. raffish
Noun
  • The girl group had to bow out of Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields festival August 27 after Megan Skiendiel sprained her ankle.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The one-day festival, which raised $10 million for nonprofits supporting women and girls, arrives just weeks before Rodrigo launches her Unraveled Tour.
    — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of festival
Adjective
  • Overall, there is a driving energy to the album as well as a haunted carnivalesque atmosphere.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Fundamentally, the protest in Delhi amounted to a carnivalesque bonfire of Brand Modi.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of carnivalesque
Noun
  • Both posed with the actor's granddaughter, Melissa Talmadge Cox, who first met Fadem at another Keaton celebration ten years ago in Muskegon, Mich.
    — Brian Bull, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The eveningwear collection is designed for red carpets, galas, black-tie celebrations and other memorable occasions.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of celebration
Adjective
  • At the other end, Robert Sanchez elicits blue murder and the combination is riotous and compelling.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Others are stewed with aromatics and oil to make a riotous take on XO sauce, funky and inky and complex, which gilds the hunks of squash under their corny beurre blanc.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of riotous
Noun
  • In lieu of festivities, tens of thousands of people took to the streets Wednesday across Spain to protest the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ceuta, demanding solutions and blaming Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for his government's handling of it.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Wedding festivities took place over four days and began in a city hundreds of miles away, to which my wife and I traveled.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of festivity
Adjective
  • The Spice Girl, like her fellow judges, struggled to be heard over the raucous audience.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Golden State started 5 of 27 in front of a raucous, sellout crowd.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of raucous
Adjective
  • The boisterous, perhaps even hard-to-corral high school teenage boys would go silent.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Despite his undoubted technical ability, the boisterous midfielder is known for his aggressive play in the centre of the park which often draws the ire of fans of rival clubs.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of boisterous
Adjective
  • And then there's a top-of-his-game Chevy Chase as a devil-may-care golfer and Bill Murray as a raffish groundskeeper.
    — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026
  • Kids join academies as raffish improvisors, little bundles of wild ideas and schemes.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Definition of raffish

Browse Nearby Words

carnality
carnival
carnivalesque
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Cite this Entry

“Carnival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnival. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on carnival

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about carnival

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