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
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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
Caroline Ritzie, The Enquirer, 25 July 2025
There will be kids’ activities including a bounce house, one or two carnival games, potential face painting (depending on permitting), and of course photo ops with Sam.
—Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 23 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
Have fun participating in classic carnival and festival games and, for adults, the casino.
—Caroline Ritzie, The Enquirer, 25 July 2025
There will be kids’ activities including a bounce house, one or two carnival games, potential face painting (depending on permitting), and of course photo ops with Sam.
—Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for carnival
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnival
Noun
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The new agreement expands the current relationship into all five verticals of AEG’s business: venues, festivals, touring, the AXS ticketing platform and sports teams, and makes Amex the official payment partner of AEG at 40 properties on four continents.—
Brendan Coffey,
Sportico.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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The festival runs from 11:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. all three days; admission is free until 4 p.m. Friday, and until 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.—
Duante Beddingfield,
Freep.com,
7 Aug. 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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Guestrooms and spaces are a riotous composition of animal print, florals, fringe, velvet and silk, yielding the sense of being ensconced in the vivid, textural energy that defines the brand.—
Katie Kelly Bell,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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Four people have been charged with offenses including assault, riotous behavior and criminal damage.—
Rod McGuirk,
Sun Sentinel,
15 July 2025
Noun
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No announcement as to Kesha’s potential involvement in the festivities has been released, however.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
8 Aug. 2025
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The audience, limited to 15 people per performance, joins Irina’s birthday festivities during the opening scene; attendees are invited to eat cake and drink champagne, with some sitting at the dinner table and others scattered around the room.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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However, as is the subject of the summer 2025 concert film Gary Numan: A Perfect Circle, Numan charted his way back to the arena 41 years after his retirement performances, where he was greeted by a raucous audience that had awaited his return all along.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
12 Aug. 2025
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Joining the din of already raucous sequel-mania, studios have offered audiences revival after revival aimed at capturing coming-of-age nostalgia.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Amid the noise on Nashville’s bright, boisterous Broadway strip, Robert’s Western World stands alone with its (relatively) quiet reverence for Nashville’s spirit — the one that existed before the crowds.—
Mackensy Lunsford,
The Tennessean,
1 Aug. 2025
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To thwart it, Frank teams up with a fellow-officer (Paul Walter Hauser) and a victim’s sister (Pamela Anderson), and some of the boisterous humor is playfully ribald.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
1 Aug. 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 area of Bardstown Road in the Highlands has been a point of focus for Greenberg and Louisville Metro Police in the wake of several instances of rowdy patrons causing disturbances in the area earlier in Summer 2025.—
Lillian Metzmeier,
Louisville Courier Journal,
12 Aug. 2025
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The 48-year-old Chico resident said he was also disheartened by the rowdy crowd, which shouted over much of LaMalfa’s response to his question.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Carnival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnival. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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