carnival

American  

[kahr-nuh-vuhl] / ˈkɑr nə vəl /

noun

carnivals plural

1. a traveling amusement show, having sideshows, rides, etc.

2. any merrymaking, revelry, or festival, as a program of sports or entertainment.

   a winter carnival.

   Synonyms:

   holiday, fete, celebration, fair

3. the season immediately preceding Lent, often observed with merrymaking; Shrovetide.

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carnival British  

/ ˈkɑːnɪvəl /

noun

1. 1. a festive occasion or period marked by merrymaking, processions, etc: esp in some Roman Catholic countries, the period just before Lent

   2. ( as modifier )

      a carnival atmosphere

2. a travelling fair having merry-go-rounds, etc

3. a show or display arranged as an amusement

4. a sports meeting

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Usage

What is Carnival? Carnival, with a capital C, refers to the multiple-day period of merrymaking before the start of Lent. It is especially associated with the massive street festival held annually in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is famous for its big parades, ornate costumes, and samba dancing. Carnival is also celebrated in many other countries, especially those with large Catholic populations, including Italy, Spain, France, and Germany (where it is called Fasching). The equivalent pre-Lent celebration in the U. S. (especially New Orleans) and some other places is known as Mardi Gras. In religious contexts, the three-day period before Lent is known as Shrovetide. Carnival is part of a tradition of indulging before the Lenten fast, but it is not a Christian holiday. Carnival is also sometimes spelled Carnaval.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• carnivalesque
  adjective
• carnivallike
  adjective
• precarnival
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• carnivals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of carnival

1540–50; < Italian carnevale, Old Italian carnelevare taking meat away, equivalent to carne flesh (< Latin carnem, accusative of caro ) + levare < Latin levāre to lift

Compare meaning

How does carnival compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• carnival vs. Mardi Gras

Explanation

If you have an annual festival going on in your neighborhood that involves live music, street vendors, and games, you could call that a carnival. The word carnival originally referred to a public festival involving general merriment and feasting, often taking place on the street and frequently associated with a religious holiday. Later the word’s meaning broadened to refer to a traveling show that offers similar activities, like a winter carnival or a fair. Nowadays the word carnival is also used figuratively to refer to something characterized by raucous disorder. If, for example, your coworkers ended up heckling your CEO at a company meeting, you could describe the scene as a carnival (although you would most likely NOT see any cotton candy in the board room).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

carnival carnivals

She stuck with rural carnival and black-oriented theater settings for her appearances, and stayed South, never focusing on the big Northern cities and venues as Bessie Smith did.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Victorious Spanish fans and mournful Argentinians brought the World Cup carnival back to the heart of New York for their blockbuster clash Sunday, reigniting fervor that had dipped with the US exit.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Williams, who first took part in the carnival in 1975, said it must remain in west London because of its roots.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

It is 1958, nine years since Dennis first entered the Great When, an alternate metropolis where the city’s historical eras flow past one another in “an exotic carnival of moments.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

In fact, it can be something dangerously mysterious: a carnival of chaos, a mirage of make-believe, a resplendent reverie.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

By the early 1990s, some crews in the U.K. began throwing megaraves more spiritually akin to experiential carnivals than to more lowkey dance-floor-and-DJ setups.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

The Nuyorican musician would introduce Blades as the new singer of his orchestra, whom he had met years prior while visiting Panama during carnivals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2026

Families popped it over wood stoves; peddlers sold it in paper cones at circuses, carnivals and busy promenades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

Authorities are also offering free entry to public swimming pools and museums on the polling day, organising carnivals in various neighbourhoods, and holding a televised variety show and gala.

From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025

An understanding of expected values is helpful in analyzing most casino games, as well as the lesser- known game of chuck-a-luck which is played at carnivals in the Midwest and England.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos