carnival

1 of 2

noun

car·​ni·​val ˈkär-nə-vəl How to pronounce carnival (audio)
1
: a season or festival of merrymaking before Lent
2
a
: an instance of merrymaking, feasting, or masquerading
b
: an instance of riotous excess
a carnival of violence
3
a
: a traveling enterprise offering amusements
b
: an organized program of entertainment or exhibition : festival
a winter carnival

carnival

2 of 2

adjective

: suggestive of or suited to a carnival
a carnival atmosphere
carnival colors

Examples of carnival in a Sentence

Noun the school's annual winter carnival That part of town is a carnival on Friday and Saturday nights. There is a carnival atmosphere in the office. The garden became a carnival of color.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Highlights include holiday crafts for kids, carnival games, balloon artists and cookie decorating, free churros and cotton candy. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Nov. 2023 Once created, the kit will build an iconic (and fully functioning) carnival swing ride, a boom ride, and a Ferris wheel. Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Bsn, Parents, 15 Nov. 2023 Elsewhere on the grounds, Flog Gnaw revelers rode classic carnival rides like the Yo-Yo and Himalaya and shopped at the Golf Wang store — Tyler’s clothing line, aka the words Flog Gnaw backwards — for special festival merch, most of which was sold out by Sunday night. Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Nov. 2023 There are also carnival rides, a 575-foot-long snow tube run, and holiday films playing on a massive, five-story screen. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2023 According to its website, Dollywood comprises a main theme park that features carnival rides, the Splash Country water park with numerous slides, and two resorts. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023 Inside were carnival rides and attractions designed by more than thirty of the previous century’s geniuses, from Salvador Dalí to David Hockney to Roy Lichtenstein. Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023 By the time the song begins to fade in a loop of bell chimes and a softening drum beat, you’re left with that dizzying feeling of stepping off a spinning carnival ride, lightheaded but eager to go back for another round. Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2023 The event will feature live music, drag racing, a car show, carnival rides and In-N-Out Burger cookout trucks and a lemonade stand. Fielding Buck, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2023
Adjective
Customers at Starbucks will be introduced to a new interface with a carnival-style wheel. Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023 The Square has spooky carnival-style games. Annie Alleman, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2022 Transform your salad spinner into a carnival-style spin art machine. Lauren Piro, Good Housekeeping, 31 Oct. 2022 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 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 Collecting all the later drama in one city offers a chance to create a carnival-style event, a miniature tournament within a tournament, a defining climax to the European campaign. New York Times, 29 Apr. 2022 On top of brand booths for Venmo, Spotify, Hawkers, Erewhon, 818 Tequila, Onda, Daring Foods, Good American, Celsius, Zip and Pley Beauty, Revolve Festival also featured carnival-style swings and plenty of photo opps. Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carnival.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian carnevale, alteration of earlier carnelevare, literally, removal of meat, from carne flesh (from Latin carn-, caro) + levare to remove, from Latin, to raise

First Known Use

Noun

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1605, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of carnival was in 1549

Dictionary Entries Near carnival

Cite this Entry

“Carnival.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carnival. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

carnival

noun
car·​ni·​val
ˈkär-nə-vəl
1
: a season or festival of merrymaking before Lent
2
: a noisy merrymaking
3
a
: a traveling group that puts on a variety of amusements
b
: a program of entertainment

More from Merriam-Webster on carnival

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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