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
Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 28 May 2026
Since its opening in January 2025, the space has seen celebrations and gatherings often featuring a Bahamian carnival drum called a tum tum, in vibrant expressions of Black joy, and a weekly passport series highlighting a country across the diaspora.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 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
Wednesday was the first night of the carnival, and it was scheduled to go through Saturday.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 28 May 2026
Since its opening in January 2025, the space has seen celebrations and gatherings often featuring a Bahamian carnival drum called a tum tum, in vibrant expressions of Black joy, and a weekly passport series highlighting a country across the diaspora.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 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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While the film’s presence at the festival has sparked some controversy, Tribeca co-founder Jane Rosenthal defended the move to Variety, claiming the film should be looked at within the context of the ongoing Iran war.—
Corbin Bolies,
Variety,
3 June 2026
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On the feature side, the festival includes three competitions for narrative, documentary, and international films, with other sections devoted to cutting-edge cinema in Viewpoints and a substantial short film program.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
3 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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Some sponsors have pulled out of the celebrations Last year, some big corporations stopped contributing to Pride events.—
Geoff Mulvihill,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
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Initially this brought an overdue celebration of figures, like Fred Eversley, Jack Whitten, and Howardena Pindell, who had been working within high-modernist modes but had been discriminated against by white curators, dealers, and critics.—
Katy Siegel,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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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
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See the new photos from the riotous parody below.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 May 2026
Noun
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Fans documented and shared Olandria's birthday festivities across TikTok, Instagram, X, Threads, YouTube, and Reddit — and actively engaged with Anastasia Beverly Hills' own posts about it.—
Sonia Thompson,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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The Porsche Sprint Challenge kicked off Saturday’s festivities with a qualifying session to set the grid for two races over the weekend.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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Normally, in an arena, that would include sizzle reels, hype videos and raucous music.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
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After concluding his speech to raucous applause, Lahn went around the room to speak with supporters, take photos, and give autographs.—
Cooper Worth,
Des Moines Register,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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As a row of kids delighted in mixing cotton candy and frozen lemonade into an only-at-the-ballpark dessert, the usher alerted the parents that a mass of boisterous and predominantly shirtless men soon would be assembling in a nearby section.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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The legendary band played a short but boisterous set after with The Roots drummer joining.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
3 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 6 Jun. 2026.
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