carnival 1 of 2

noun

ˈkär-nə-vəl How to pronounce carnival (audio)
Definition of carnivalnext
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

Relevance

carnival

2 of 2

adjective

as in carnivalesque

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of carnival
Noun
For traveling carnivals, rides are repeatedly disassembled, transported, and reassembled at different locations. — Jamal Goss, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 More than 10,000 pumpkins, a corn maze, axe throwing, Instagram photo ops, fortune tellers, carnival games, and treats like apple doughnuts await at Chicago’s largest Halloween festival. — Michelle Mastro, Midwest Living, 9 Oct. 2026
Adjective
The Children’s Zoo encouraged youngsters to feed and pet the animals, but eliminated carnival-style gimmicks that were common in zoos at the time. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 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 See All Example Sentences for carnival
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnival
  1. festival
  2. carnivalesque
  3. celebration
  4. riotous
  5. festivity
  6. raucous
  7. boisterous
  8. raffish
Noun
  • Hundreds had gathered at the arena for a festival celebrating horse racing and Mexican culture.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The two-day music festival runs through early Sunday morning and was expecting about 40,000 fans each day.
    — Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of festival
Adjective
  • Luhansk, this terra incognita of the independent Ukraine, is described in almost carnivalesque terms, but this is a carnival infused with absurdity and even cruelty.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Overall, there is a driving energy to the album as well as a haunted carnivalesque atmosphere.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of carnivalesque
Noun
  • Members of the dance group Danzantes Unidos Mitotiliztli performed in October 2025 during a Dia de los Muertos celebration offered by Athziry Día de Muertos and the city of Aurora at East Aurora High School.
    — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The former center grabbed headlines in March for commenting on a Rangers loss that coincided with the team’s Pride Night celebration.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of celebration
Adjective
  • The riotous 640-page doorstopper grapples with homophobia then and now, the lingering specter of colonialism, the tumult of the AIDS crisis, and frameworks of power that demand dominance or submission.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Adéla draws from the Britney Spears playbook on the track and ends up with a riotous song destined for Top 40 dominance.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of riotous
Noun
  • Headlining the festivities is a halftime performance from Big Boi.
    — Gavin Godfrey, AJC.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • But before its doors shutter for a while, the hotel is offering another year of holiday festivities, this time with a special twist thanks to an immersive collaboration with Parisian brand Repetto.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of festivity
Adjective
  • The crowd at the suddenly raucous Tropicana Field, one of baseball’s quietest venues during most regular season contests, roared in approval.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Her main rival for that was the raucous set from George Wallace, who partly brought the house down with a bit about jokes for the high rollers in the front row versus the nosebleed seats.
    — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of raucous
Adjective
  • Brattin was a member of the Missouri Freedom Caucus, an outspoken group of conservatives whose disruptive and boisterous tactics defined Missouri politics for years.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Duncombe’s friends remember her sunny spirit, boisterous and infectious laugh, unbridled optimism and passion for new experiences.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of boisterous
Adjective
  • So did the holdout Grealish tragics; those of us who still cling to the memories of his raffish breakout years.
    — David Ornstein, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • And then there's a top-of-his-game Chevy Chase as a devil-may-care golfer and Bill Murray as a raffish groundskeeper.
    — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026
Definition of raffish

Browse Nearby Words

carnality
carnival
carnivalesque
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Carnival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnival. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on carnival

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about carnival

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of asunder

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All