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  • Bacchanalia
    Bacchanalia
    noun
    a festival in honor of Bacchus.
  • bacchanalia
    bacchanalia
    plural noun
    (often capital) orgiastic rites associated with Bacchus
Synonyms

Bacchanalia

American  
[bak-uh-ney-lee-uh, -neyl-yuh] / ˌbæk əˈneɪ li ə, -ˈneɪl yə /

noun

Bacchanalias plural
  1. (sometimes used with a plural verb) a festival in honor of Bacchus.

  2. (lowercase) a drunken feast; orgy.


bacchanalia British  
/ ˌbækəˈneɪlɪə /

plural noun

  1. (often capital) orgiastic rites associated with Bacchus

  2. any drunken revelry

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of Bacchanalia

1625–35; < Latin equivalent to Bacch ( us ) + -ān ( us ) -an + -ālia, neuter plural of -ālis -al 1; probably modeled on volcānālia. See Saturnalia

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While fatherhood has slowed my nightlife habits, judging by the gondola banter of a quintet of seasonal employees regaling the night prior’s exploits, the Bacchanalia is back.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 13, 2023

The party a few hours later at Bacchanalia seemed to occur in an alternative universe.

From New York Times • Dec. 31, 2022

This is surprising because he’s typically very chatty with the media and months ago decided to lean into the unbridled hedonism of Bacchanalia.

From New York Times • Dec. 31, 2022

At Bacchanalia, the emphasis is on freshness, and the restaurant uses all organic ingredients, many of which are sourced from the owner's personal farm.

From Time • Aug. 17, 2017

His mother might only have gone to one of her bowling Bacchanalia.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

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