bac·cha·nal
ˈba-kə-nᵊl 
ˌbä-kə-ˈnäl
ˈbä-;
ˌba-kə-ˈnal
ˌbä-kə-ˈnäl
1
a
b
2
a
: a devotee of Bacchus
especially
: one who celebrates the Bacchanalia
b
: reveler
bac·cha·nal
ˈba-kə-nᵊl
: of, relating to, or suggestive of the Bacchanalia : bacchanalian
Examples of bacchanal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Katie Bain, Billboard, 29 Jan. 2024
When Hancock became governor of Massachusetts, his inauguration was a sober political ceremony that quickly morphed into a bacchanal.
—Guy Denton, National Review, 20 Jan. 2024
Behind the scenes during Art Basel Miami Beach—a weeklong bacchanal of parties, paintings, and pills held in the name of shopping for art
This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter.
—Bianca Bosker, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2023
Chinese tourism noticeably rebounded during the nation’s eight-day Golden Week holiday, typically a tourism and spending bacchanal.
—Jacky Wong, WSJ, 9 Oct. 2023
Every year, social media pages are splashed with colorful images of feathers, powder and bacchanal–which could only mean one thing: Carnival has arrived.
—Kristin Braswell, Essence, 28 Sep. 2023
There’s even an orgiastic bacchanal and a dramatic courtroom finale.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023
Burning Man, the annual 80,000-person bacchanal, happens about three hours outside of Reno, Nevada, in the Black Rock Desert every Labor Day.
—Alden Wicker, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2023
Most 10-year-olds don’t get poolside bacchanals for their birthday, but Splash House celebrated a decade of music, revelry and pool floaties with a pair of back-to-back bashes last month in Palm Springs, California, for their decade celebration.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 15 Sep. 2023
Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Apr. 2023
Of course, production designer Florencia Martin knows all about this bacchanal world.
—Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 1 Mar. 2023
The Who, Willie Nelson, and Lionel Ritchie headlined), the true heart of this musical bacchanal beats on its smaller stages and in tents, where local legends and knockout upstarts abound.
—Shawnté Salabert, Outside Online, 4 Jan. 2023
By the end of last week, the mood on the platform was half funeral, half bacchanal, as departing staff tweeted out farewells and others wondered gleefully whether the site would still be there by morning.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2022
This year’s bacchanal, hosted with Grindr and 818 Tequila, did not disappoint.
—Ian Malone, Vogue, 27 June 2022
Hosting a free-for-all bacchanal like the unlimited beverage service at the freeloader area necessitates that kind of expenditure.
—Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2021
Best New Chef winner, the presiding genie of a nightly bacchanal at the Beatrice Inn, the century-old former speakeasy in the West Village.
—Jay McInerney, Town & Country, 27 Sep. 2021
The Spring Awakening electronic music bacchanal returns ... in October.
—Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, 8 Sep. 2021
Noun
Friendship is the electronic music party cruise from Gary Richards, the longtime DJ and party promoter who launched the sailing bacchanal in 2018 and also founded HARD events.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 29 Jan. 2024
When Hancock became governor of Massachusetts, his inauguration was a sober political ceremony that quickly morphed into a bacchanal.
—Guy Denton, National Review, 20 Jan. 2024
Behind the scenes during Art Basel Miami Beach—a weeklong bacchanal of parties, paintings, and pills held in the name of shopping for art
This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter.
—Bianca Bosker, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2023
Chinese tourism noticeably rebounded during the nation’s eight-day Golden Week holiday, typically a tourism and spending bacchanal.
—Jacky Wong, WSJ, 9 Oct. 2023
Every year, social media pages are splashed with colorful images of feathers, powder and bacchanal–which could only mean one thing: Carnival has arrived.
—Kristin Braswell, Essence, 28 Sep. 2023
There’s even an orgiastic bacchanal and a dramatic courtroom finale.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023
Burning Man, the annual 80,000-person bacchanal, happens about three hours outside of Reno, Nevada, in the Black Rock Desert every Labor Day.
—Alden Wicker, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2023
Most 10-year-olds don’t get poolside bacchanals for their birthday, but Splash House celebrated a decade of music, revelry and pool floaties with a pair of back-to-back bashes last month in Palm Springs, California, for their decade celebration.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 15 Sep. 2023
Adjective
The feast played out in both reality and in a bacchanal dream sequence.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Apr. 2023
Of course, production designer Florencia Martin knows all about this bacchanal world.
—Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 1 Mar. 2023
The Who, Willie Nelson, and Lionel Ritchie headlined), the true heart of this musical bacchanal beats on its smaller stages and in tents, where local legends and knockout upstarts abound.
—Shawnté Salabert, Outside Online, 4 Jan. 2023
By the end of last week, the mood on the platform was half funeral, half bacchanal, as departing staff tweeted out farewells and others wondered gleefully whether the site would still be there by morning.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2022
This year’s bacchanal, hosted with Grindr and 818 Tequila, did not disappoint.
—Ian Malone, Vogue, 27 June 2022
Hosting a free-for-all bacchanal like the unlimited beverage service at the freeloader area necessitates that kind of expenditure.
—Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2021
Best New Chef winner, the presiding genie of a nightly bacchanal at the Beatrice Inn, the century-old former speakeasy in the West Village.
—Jay McInerney, Town & Country, 27 Sep. 2021
The Spring Awakening electronic music bacchanal returns ... in October.
—Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, 8 Sep. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bacchanal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bacchanal
Cite this Entry
“Bacchanal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bacchanal. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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