as in festival
a time or program of special events and entertainment in honor of something
the town's annual Fourth of July carnival
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in carnivalesque
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of carnival
Chloe McGowan, The Indianapolis Star, 27 June 2022
The Queen is also expected to attend the Derby, one of her favorite horse race events, a concert at Buckingham Palace and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, a carnival-style celebration during which many artists, including Ed Sheeran, will perform.
—Monique Jessen, PEOPLE.com, 12 May 2022
Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Then from 3 to 10 p.m., enjoy carnival rides, bounce houses and a rock wall, arts and crafts, a cornhole tournament and tribute bands.
—Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for carnival
Noun
Whitestown's family-friendly Independence Day Celebration will kick off at 6 p.m. with live music, carnival-style food, a ticketed kid's zone and a fireworks show once the sun goes down.
—Chloe McGowan, The Indianapolis Star, 27 June 2022
The Queen is also expected to attend the Derby, one of her favorite horse race events, a concert at Buckingham Palace and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, a carnival-style celebration during which many artists, including Ed Sheeran, will perform.
—Monique Jessen, PEOPLE.com, 12 May 2022
Adjective
The event will include live music, carnival rides and inflatables.
—Andy Humbles, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Then from 3 to 10 p.m., enjoy carnival rides, bounce houses and a rock wall, arts and crafts, a cornhole tournament and tribute bands.
—Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for carnival
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnival
Noun
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The festival’s parade was held on Friday and carnival rides and more than a dozen food options were offered daily.—
David Sharos,
Chicago Tribune,
28 July 2025
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The Runway festival’s jury included Gaspar Noé, Harmony Korine and Jane Rosenthal.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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The scene outside Pearl Street, following the verdict, was literally carnivalesque, almost nihilistic, as revellers poured baby oil on themselves.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
3 July 2025
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There was something almost carnivalesque about playing baseball in such miserable conditions.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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If a single song can't propel the right emotional forward motion, maybe a dozen will do so, in the form of a riotous medley.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
8 July 2025
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Next to them were dozens of baskets of impatiens (shade-loving annuals) in riotous colors.—
Barbara Ellis,
Denver Post,
7 July 2025
Noun
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The week of festivities celebrates the league’s history, previews the upcoming season, and honors the newest inductees.—
Mark LaSota,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
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For their 2016 festivities, Reign and Mason celebrated with a theme even Vin Diesel would envy: a car-lover's homage to The Fast and the Furious.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, from the tail end, a raucous exhaust soundtrack almost borders on egregiously loud.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
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When Gavin Adcock finishes one of his raucous sets, the stage is often slick from a rain of beer and littered with cans and water bottles that fans have tossed onstage — though Adcock has thrown plenty of his own drinks into the crowd, too.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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Hulk Hogan, the blond and boisterous body-slammer who brought pro wrestling into the mainstream in the 1980s while becoming one of the most recognizable celebrities of his generation, died Thursday.—
Rhett Bartlett,
HollywoodReporter,
24 July 2025
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River Rose, more timid at the beginning, follows Clarkson's lead and eventually joins in for a more boisterous performance.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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The banal village tunes that Mahler altered into sinister mock vulgarities—did these not recall the raffish klezmer bands, the wandering musicians who played at shtetl weddings?—
David Denby,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2025
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There’s an over-the-top and overdressed fish out of water (me), a raffish Englishmen homesick for Great Britain (my husband Aidan, who will be mortified to read any of this), and an ensemble of quirky characters.—
Mosha Lundström Halbert,
Vogue,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The billboards could cheer on resistance efforts ongoing at Republican town-halls, where GOP incumbents are still having issues handling rowdy crowds.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
1 Aug. 2025
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This much was clear at a live performance at the Nice Guy in Los Angeles just weeks before her album release — an eruption of playful but thunderous howls that felt more like a rowdy sports arena than an intimate performance.—
Tiana DeNicola,
Variety,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Carnival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnival. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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