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

There was something carnivalesque about Marcia’s intellectual riffs. — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

Overall, there is a driving energy to the album as well as a haunted carnivalesque atmosphere. — Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026

Fundamentally, the protest in Delhi amounted to a carnivalesque bonfire of Brand Modi. — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026

In Trinidad, which has a sizable population of Indian-origin immigrants, there is a local carnivalesque form of the holiday called Hosay. — Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for carnivalesque

• arabesque
• picaresque
• romanesque
• statuesque
• burlesque
• grotesque
• desk