bacchanalian
Britishadjective
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characterized by or involving drunken revelry
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(often capital) of or relating to the orgiastic rites associated with Bacchus
Explanation
The ancient Roman god Bacchus was no teetotaler. A bacchanalian party is a wild, wine-soaked, rowdy affair. Bacchanalian is used to describe any event that Bacchus would have enjoyed. The Romans celebrated Bacchus with wine, songs, dances and more wine — not the kind of behavior you would expect from self-respecting adults (and probably not the kind of thing they would tell their kids about). Another word for bacchanalian is Dionysian, in honor of the Greek god of wine and crazy parties. Any kind of wild revelry can be described as bacchanalian.
Vocabulary lists containing bacchanalian
Mardi Gras: Fun
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The Cuckoo's Calling
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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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.
Her new music reflects those bacchanalian nights, where people found freedom to be themselves "free from police, free from judgement", said Monaé.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2023
Just as the teens host a bacchanalian Halloween party at Gary and Sam’s house, while their parents are away, aliens decide this is a perfect time to attack.
From New York Times • Jan. 20, 2023
Denying those bacchanalian tendencies would be to forget why we live here in the first place.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2022
"With the bean now a baby and the ball a bacchanalian celebration, the cake remains a sweet way to break bread with your fellow revelers," he said.
From Fox News • Mar. 1, 2022
She even inquired about you; you were doubtless married and no longer lived in Berlin; then she wished to know what had happened to the other guests at our bacchanalian revel at Charlottenburg.
From The Children of the World by Heyse, Paul
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
