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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Gail Williams, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Jan. 2025
These were the size of carnival one-sheets, and full of startling clip-art imagery (a screaming head, a creepy baby in a mobcap) and aggressive block capitals, announcing the circus was back in town.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2025
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
Related Stories Movies 'Any Given Sunday': THR's 1999 Review
For first-time viewers, the carnival of characters which gives the series its richness for addicts such as this viewer, may seem initially confusing.
—Gail Williams, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Jan. 2025
These were the size of carnival one-sheets, and full of startling clip-art imagery (a screaming head, a creepy baby in a mobcap) and aggressive block capitals, announcing the circus was back in town.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2025
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
-
Both struggled with severe mental-health issues but have flourished in their partnership since meeting at a music festival, getting married and forming the War and Treaty.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Boston SciFi, the longest-running genre film festival in the States, includes 10 features including world and US premieres.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The exhibition features 150 objects spotlighting the historical interactions of Britain with Africa, India and the Caribbean, all of which impacted Guyana where the artist grew up, juxtaposed with artworks by Locke such as carnivalesque figures ‘The Watchers’.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes,
12 Dec. 2024
-
The film’s centerpiece is a chaotic, carnivalesque parade of surrealistic characters marching through Tokyo.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
28 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
The proof theatrically is that the production is a rapt and riotous collective with a long list credits all seemingly on the same wildly unpredictable page.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2025
-
In 2021 the inauguration of Joe Biden, after a riotous political season and the pandemic with stay-at -home mandates averaged 33.8 million.—
Brad Adgate,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The festivities include a strong lineup of Louisiana-native artists to celebrate the host city.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
9 Feb. 2025
-
Having a wedding anniversary the day before Valentine’s Day could be like having a birthday just before Christmas — the individual milestone could get lost in the holiday, or festivities could be merged for the sake of convenience.—
Sofía Sanchez,
CNN,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Smith, Kesha, Williams and more were spotted at Casa Cipriani in downtown Manhattan, tucked into the VIP section of a small dance party that got more raucous as the night progressed.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
8 Feb. 2025
-
In New Orleans, raucous parades and celebrations during the Mardi Gras period – which take place all around the city – have sometimes been the site of gun violence.—
Jason Morris,
CNN,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
In matters of texture, cotton, knits, and compelling fabrics arrived in the form of modern corsetry, slick pantsuits, and boisterous dresses in assorted hues.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
7 Feb. 2025
-
There’s a profusion of bars in downtown Kansas City that offer boisterous partying and pounding music.—
Jenna Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s an over-the-top and overdressed fish out of water (me), a raffish Englishmen homesick for Great Britain (my husband Aidan, who will be mortified to read any of this), and an ensemble of quirky characters.—
Mosha Lundström Halbert,
Vogue,
20 Dec. 2024
-
The sun was setting, leaving a band of neon orange clinging to the horizon; around us, raffish cliques sipped esoteric cocktails, shared platters of roast chicken, flitted between languages, and seemed, to my eyes, immune to worldly stress.—
David Amsden,
Travel + Leisure,
14 May 2024
Adjective
-
Buffalo Wild Wings is getting rowdy ahead of the Super Bowl ... again!—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
29 Jan. 2025
-
Israeli medical professionals advocating for hostages in Gaza warned that chaotic handoffs could trigger traumatic memories of the hostages’ first moments in Gaza, in which militants drove some of them through rowdy crowds.—
Adam Rasgon,
New York Times,
25 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near carnival
Cite this Entry
“Carnival.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnival. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share