carnation

noun

car·na·tion kär-ˈnā-shən

: a plant of any of numerous often cultivated and usually double-flowered varieties or subspecies of an Old World pink (Dianthus caryophyllus) found in many color variations

: a moderate red

archaic : the variable color of human flesh

Examples of carnation in a Sentence

The groom wore a carnation in his buttonhole.

Recent Examples on the Web The exiting students are all wearing red carnations—a tradition for those going into their final exams. —

Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2023 In fact, some of the most popular plants known as moss are not actually mosses (Irish moss belongs to the carnation family; Spanish moss is a bromeliad). —

Jenny Comita, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023 This helps your carnations that haven’t bloomed yet open up. —

Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Nov. 2023 As the Sheridan Circle gathering ended, Boric knelt at the tree stump and laid carnations in honor of Letelier and Moffitt. —

Pamela Constable, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023 Scores of South Boston Vietnam veterans — dressed in suits and ties, and wearing red carnations on their lapels —stood throughout Sunday’s ceremony. —

John Hilliard, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023 Ruben started the volunteer group 12 years ago with about 1,000 pairs of carnations. —

Jeong Park, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2023 One of Robert Piguet's greatest successes, created in 1948, this fragrance is a generous, opulent bouquet of flowers: tuberose, jasmine, gardenia, iris, lily of the valley, carnation... blended with a sunny, vitamin-rich fruit cocktail of peach, mandarin and bergamot. —

Mélanie Nauche, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2023 For a budget-conscious option, Wilber suggests old-school carnations. —

Michelle Brunner, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carnation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.