carnation

noun

car·na·tion | \ kär-ˈnā-shən

Definition of carnation

1 : 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

2 : a moderate red

3 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

For the fall 2018 collection show, for example, Tory Burch sent models down a grassy runway filled with 14,000 pink carnations. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Watch the Tory Burch Fall/Winter 2019 Show Live," 10 Feb. 2019 National Geographic reports the white carnation has always been the official bloom of the holiday. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "When Is Mother's Day? Here's Everything You Need to Know About the Holiday," 7 Feb. 2019 Last season, models walked down a grassy runway filled with 14,000 pink carnations to show off the fall 2018 collection. — Marina Liao, Marie Claire, "Watch the Tory Burch Spring 2019 Runway Show Live," 7 Sep. 2018 Rod Skirvin, vice president of the Police Benevolent Association in Broward, gave out carnations as thousands of students approached the school, the paper reports. — Jamie Ducharme, Time, "'Never Going to Be the Same.' Students Make an Emotional Return to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School," 28 Feb. 2018 Some students were carrying red carnations purchased from student government. — New York Times, "‘Are We Going to Die Today?’ Inside a Parkland Classroom as Bullets Flew," 6 June 2018 Left along the Wall were tiny flags, carnations and a zip-top bag of popcorn. — Michael Laris, Washington Post, "On Memorial Day in D.C., signs of respect and echoes of all that was lost," 28 May 2018 The candle offers head notes of bergamot and gardenia, heart notes of carnation, jasmine, and ylang-ylang, and base notes of lily and vanilla. — Kelly Conaboy, The Cut, "The Perfect Candle for Lovers of Stickers and Romance," 22 June 2018 This is a photo of 3 carnations that our dear friends @majestyblack brought us tonight after our rehearsal and soundcheck. — Krystin Arneson, Glamour, "Kat Von D's Incredible Wedding Dress Is Proof Brides Don't Have to Wear White," 3 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'carnation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.