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
Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026
Held annually in the days before Ash Wednesday, Rio Carnival is the biggest carnival in the world.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 June 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for carnival
Noun
Travelers should also build in recovery days — the carnival schedule is relentless, with parties running through the night across multiple neighborhoods at once.
—Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026
Held annually in the days before Ash Wednesday, Rio Carnival is the biggest carnival in the world.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 June 2026
Adjective
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
See All Example Sentences for carnival
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnival
Noun
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Police said the gunfire erupted after a foot chase and assault involving two rival groups at the festival, according to WTOL 11.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
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Baltimore's 2026 Pride Week will culminate with the annual parade and festival this weekend, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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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
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The atmosphere, for a while, was carnivalesque.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The annual celebration was established by El Centro de Ayuda over 20 years ago as a way to curb gang violence in the 1990s.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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Although the structure itself has been replaced, the site has been home to community gatherings, events, concerts and celebrations for the past 130 years.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Shocking video captured the moments anti-ICE agitators were arrested outside Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, Friday, during riotous confrontations.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
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Earnest and Anolik discuss Babitz’s captivating persona and the strange course of her life, from New York to Los Angeles and from riotous success to anonymity.—
Lili Anolik,
The New York Review of Books,
27 May 2026
Noun
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The controversy is unlikely to overshadow this week’s festivities.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
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The festivities were held at the terrace bar nine floors above Times Square at the Edition Hotel, and anyone sneaking in an illicit cigarette out on the balcony gets treated to a giant Wicked billboard flashing in LEDs.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
7 June 2026
Adjective
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Twenty-five hours after that, a raucous crowd at Blue FCU Arena was left silent.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
11 June 2026
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In front of a raucous home crowd, Golden State built a lead as large as 18 in the first half, only to see the Mercury whittle away at that advantage throughout the final two quarters.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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The production generates periodic boisterous fun along the way through brisk staging, galvanizing projections and splashy costuming, plus a few entertaining performances rippling out of the cast in bigger and smaller roles.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
9 June 2026
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King’s voice and boisterous energy were an essential element of the television experience for Bulls fans over the last two decades.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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Slain Supervisor Harvey Milk is raffish in his bust, tossing his head back with his necktie askance — the image is taken from a famous Dan Niccoleto photograph in front of the Castro Camera store.—
J.K. Dineen,
San Francisco Chronicle,
11 Dec. 2025
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Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Carnival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnival. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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