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

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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
Their dynamic is as one-sided as a carnival knife-thrower and her target. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026 Country concerts, carnival rides, and, of course, a rodeo are just some of the activities that the Adams County Fair has for everyone this weekend. — Brian Sherrod, CBS News, 29 July 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
  • Two people were killed and several others injured when two shooters opened fire at Canada’s largest street festival in Toronto in July.
    — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The festival was first announced in February at a press conference attended by Mayor Karen Bass, with organizers — including founder and former city council member Martin Ludlow — anticipating 250,000 attendees for the citywide, weeks-long event.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of festival
Adjective
  • Fundamentally, the protest in Delhi amounted to a carnivalesque bonfire of Brand Modi.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of carnivalesque
Noun
  • Trump has managed to bring up grass at events as varied as the signing of an executive order on TikTok and the 2025 White House celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The community came together Wednesday to wish the young talent good luck at a send-off celebration and pizza party.
    — Allen Devlin, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of celebration
Adjective
  • The joyous if relatively restrained gathering was the culmination of the riotous nationwide celebrations that had broken out on the evening of April 12, when the results of the parliamentary elections came in.
    — Gordon F. Sander, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
  • Guns is an actor and writer, known for her razor-sharp observations and riotous voice.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
Definition of riotous
Noun
  • Saturday’s festivities will include crafts, story time, a scavenger hunt and the chance to see hundreds of fish in their colorful new environment for the first time in months.
    — Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The festivities started in 1841, and today’s visitors enjoy some of the same activities, like animal exhibitions and farm product demonstrations.
    — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of festivity
Adjective
  • The family watched the video of Gad’s tribute and the raucous applause that followed.
    — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • That’s good enough for always raucous Yankees fans and the perpetually harsh New York media.
    — Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of raucous
Adjective
  • Lake celebrated her win Tuesday night with a small but boisterous watch party at Cliff’s Tavern in midtown Kansas City.
    — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Once a lawyerly panel, a takeover by a trio of conservatives deeply mistrustful of the state’s voting system has turned the board’s once mundane meetings into boisterous events packed with crowds of cheering and jeering activists.
    — Tamar Hallerman, AJC.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of boisterous
Adjective
  • 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
  • Kids join academies as raffish improvisors, little bundles of wild ideas and schemes.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Definition of raffish

Browse Nearby Words

carnality
carnival
carnivalesque
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Cite this Entry

“Carnival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnival. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on carnival

Nglish: Translation of carnival for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about carnival

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