definitions
  • synonyms

Bacchanalia

[ bak-uh-ney-lee-uh, -neyl-yuh ]
/ ˌbæk əˈneɪ li ə, -ˈneɪl yə /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR Bacchanalia ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural Bac·cha·na·li·a, Bac·cha·na·li·as.

(sometimes used with a plural verb) a festival in honor of Bacchus.Compare Dionysia.
(lowercase) a drunken feast; orgy.

RELATED WORDS

souse, bacchanal, soak, alcoholic, tippler, stiff, lush, inebriate, boozer, wino, drinker, sponge, sot, debauchee, carouser, toper, dipsomaniac, ranter, merrymaker, bacchant

Origin of Bacchanalia

1625–35; < Latin equivalent to Bacch(us) + -ān(us) -an + -ālia, neuter plural of -ālis -al1; probably modeled on volcānālia. See Saturnalia
Related formsbac·cha·na·li·an, adjective, nounbac·cha·na·li·an·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for bacchanalian (1 of 2)

bacchanalian

/ (ˌbækəˈneɪlɪən) /

adjective

characterized by or involving drunken revelry
(often capital) of or relating to the orgiastic rites associated with Bacchus

British Dictionary definitions for bacchanalian (2 of 2)

bacchanalia

/ (ˌbækəˈneɪlɪə) /

pl n

(often capital) orgiastic rites associated with Bacchus
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