carnivalesque

adjective car·ni·val·esque \ ˌkär-nə-və-ˈlesk \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of carnivalesque

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

Recent Examples of carnivalesque from the Web

Mr Trump’s carnivalesque approach to the presidency has made life hard for America’s allies, but his first year in office has not brought forth anything like the full horrors that some predicted.

— The Economist, "CharlemagneSplits over the Iran deal test Europe’s bond with America," 25 Jan. 2018
In the moments after a president gives the State of the Union, Statuary Hall becomes a carnivalesque madhouse.

— nash jenkins, Time, "'Tonight We Got Teleprompter Trump.' Democrats Seethe After State of the Union," 31 Jan. 2018
The Casting of the Magic Bullets Dread piles up early and thickly in this nightmarish, carnivalesque fairy tale at Shotgun Players, with text by William S. Burroughs and music and lyrics by Tom Waits.

— chronicle staff report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Theater capsule reviews and listings, week of Jan. 7," 4 Jan. 2018
The Casting of the Magic Bullets Dread piles up early and thickly in this nightmarish, carnivalesque fairy tale at Shotgun Players, with text by William S. Burroughs and music and lyrics by Tom Waits.

— chronicle staff report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Theater capsule reviews and listings, week of Jan. 7," 4 Jan. 2018
The Casting of the Magic Bullets Dread piles up early and thickly in this nightmarish, carnivalesque fairy tale at Shotgun Players, with text by William S. Burroughs and music and lyrics by Tom Waits.

— chronicle staff report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Theater capsule reviews and listings, week of Dec. 24," 20 Dec. 2017
Luhrmann, the Australian director of Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge!, is known for his sumptuous style, creating carnivalesque movies that dazzle with gaudy opulence.

— isobel thompson, A-LIST, "How Grandmaster Flash, Nas and DJ Kool Herc taught Jeriana San Juan to Get Down," 31 Aug. 2017
Presented using carnivalesque imagery, its middle panel is a self-portrait that conveys the artist’s guilt about teaching within a system that buries students in debt.

— troy reimink, Detroit Free Press, "In Trump era, politics are more visible than ever at Grand Rapids' ArtPrize," 17 Sep. 2017
Ally’s sightings of gruesome clowns around town—a reference to the rash of creepy carnivalesque encounters around North America last year—provides one of the big political metaphors of the show.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Turning the Trump Era Into a Horror Story," 6 Sep. 2017

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