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
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
Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
Go to a local carnival or county fair.
—Parents, 11 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
The storms led the Lockport Chamber of Commerce to cancel the first night of its annual Old Canal Days festival, which includes a carnival, vendors and musical entertainment.
—Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
Go to a local carnival or county fair.
—Parents, 11 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
-
The organizers of a family-friendly bluegrass festival have cancelled their fall festival, according to an announcement made on the event’s website.—
Emma Hall,
Sacbee.com,
18 June 2026
-
The Score Lawrence street festival is rocking with live music, carnival games and balloon art ahead of tonight’s showdown between Argentina and Algeria.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
The atmosphere, for a while, was carnivalesque.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But there were also a smattering of fans with pre-revolutionary flags who booed the Iranian national anthem and erupted in celebration when New Zealand scored an early goal.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
There are few things that the left hates more than celebrations of America.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Part slasher parody, part meta commentary on the structure of horror movies, and fully riotous, Behind the Mask is a dreadfully under-appreciated contribution to the subgenre that would have made for a terrific franchise.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The festivities will begin tomorrow afternoon with a media session which will showcase highlights from the past decade at the resort and provide the updates about the latest developments, according to the organizers.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
The shroud -- the shroud will likely come down probably after the fight, after the festivities and after the fireworks.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
And that's especially true in a big, raucous, diverse, argumentative democracy like the United States of America.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
Guy, whose fastball has reached 91 mph and sits in the high 80s, was pumped up to pitch as the raucous, standing-room only crowd electrified the ballpark’s atmosphere.—
Richard Dunn,
Oc Register,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Kirke plays Delphine Barlow, Alice’s (Condon) recently widowed older sister, a confident, boisterous presence with the ability to make every conversation about herself.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
18 June 2026
-
Those will be out in abundance during the June 26 match and the typically boisterous parades just outside the stadium.—
Andrew Destin,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Kids join academies as raffish improvisors, little bundles of wild ideas and schemes.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Carnival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnival. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
