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
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.
Noun
The David LaChapelle-shot neon carnival extravaganza seemed to send the message that the Kardashians' lives are a constant media circus. Kate Hogan, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024 Of course, pictures with Santa are available at Christmas Wonderland, as well as carnival rides plus games, dining experiences and live performances. Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 20 Dec. 2024
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 See all Example Sentences for carnival 

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 3 Jan. 2025.

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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