carnivalesque
adjective
car·ni·val·esque
ˌkär-nə-və-ˈlesk 
1
: suggestive of a carnival
a carnivalesque celebration
2
: marked by an often mocking or satirical challenge to authority and the traditional social hierarchy
a carnivalesque protest
Examples of carnivalesque in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In his Bombay masala cassava, his baked eggs with tadka greens (the sort of nourishing dish that would drown a cold), and his chaat-style loaded twice-baked potatoes, a recipe which draws from Mumbai’s carnivalesque street food traditions.
—
Meher Mirza, Vogue, 5 Dec. 2023
In recent years, the festivities have expanded into a carnivalesque celebration and, increasingly, a tourist draw.
—Megan Zhang, Saveur, 1 Nov. 2023
During the town’s carnivalesque Battle of the Flowers, Her Majesty much enjoyed pelting the masquerading crowd from the balcony of her hotel.
—Jonathan Miles, Town & Country, 5 Sep. 2023
Piccioli used watercolors to paint, in his signature pink, a carnivalesque mask over Dalí’s face.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2023
Another image, taken during the Hudson Valley wave of the mid-eighties, reportedly by a state trooper, shows an arc of lights in a carnivalesque array of colors, hanging in the night sky.
—Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2023
These early novels could be carnivalesque in their humor.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 13 June 2023
The result is part carnivalesque caricature and part generic smiley face.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2023
The block party felt like a throwback to a New York of a different era, when Deitch Projects and other galleries tapped into a frenzied downtown art scene and held carnivalesque openings that spilled onto the sidewalk and blurred the lines of art, music, fashion and nightlife.
—John Ortved, New York Times, 20 July 2022
Meher Mirza, Vogue, 5 Dec. 2023
In recent years, the festivities have expanded into a carnivalesque celebration and, increasingly, a tourist draw.
—Megan Zhang, Saveur, 1 Nov. 2023
During the town’s carnivalesque Battle of the Flowers, Her Majesty much enjoyed pelting the masquerading crowd from the balcony of her hotel.
—Jonathan Miles, Town & Country, 5 Sep. 2023
Piccioli used watercolors to paint, in his signature pink, a carnivalesque mask over Dalí’s face.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Sep. 2023
Another image, taken during the Hudson Valley wave of the mid-eighties, reportedly by a state trooper, shows an arc of lights in a carnivalesque array of colors, hanging in the night sky.
—Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2023
These early novels could be carnivalesque in their humor.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 13 June 2023
The result is part carnivalesque caricature and part generic smiley face.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2023
The block party felt like a throwback to a New York of a different era, when Deitch Projects and other galleries tapped into a frenzied downtown art scene and held carnivalesque openings that spilled onto the sidewalk and blurred the lines of art, music, fashion and nightlife.
—John Ortved, New York Times, 20 July 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carnivalesque.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Carnivalesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carnivalesque. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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