carnival

[kahr-nuh-vuhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR carnival ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

any merrymaking, revelry, or festival, as a program of sports or entertainment: a winter carnival.

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

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR carnival

2. fair, celebration, fete, holiday.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR carnival ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formscar·ni·val·esque, car·ni·val·like, adjectivepre·car·ni·val, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for carnival

Lupher says the Carnival Magic tried to land in Cozumel, but that the Mexican authorities blocked them from the dock.
Inside the Cruise Ship Quarantined Over Ebola Fear|Carol McKinley|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
People aboard the Carnival Magic have another day and a half at sea before they reach Galveston, Texas.
Inside the Cruise Ship Quarantined Over Ebola Fear|Carol McKinley|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Was the hammer scene, for you, like that strength game at the carnival where you hit the block with the hammer?
Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington on Jon Snow’s Heroism and Loss in the Battle of Castle Black|Marlow Stern|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But she also is disappointed by the way Costa Crociere, owned by Carnival Cruise Lines, has handled the situation.
I Survived a Deadly Shipwreck: Costa Concordia Passengers Tell Their Stories|Barbie Latza Nadeau|May 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Arellano reportedly had her heart set on becoming the 1977 carnival queen of Mazatlan and certainly possessed the necessary looks.
Drug Cartel Beauty Queens Face an Ugly End|Michael Daly|February 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Around the cart were students, still in their Carnival finery, wearing the colors of his own corps.
Long Live the King|Mary Roberts Rinehart
Urach, the quiet hill-town, where many quaint fountains murmur ceaselessly, seemed turned into a place of carnival.
A German Pompadour|Marie Hay
At that time the Carnival was in full blast, and the streets were crowded with curious spectators.
The Son of Monte Christo|Jules Lermina
There he beheld advancing towards him, the Beauty of the Carnival ball.
Tales from "Blackwood"|Various
The gold won by my mistress proved lucky for me, for I did not pass a single day of the carnival without winning.
The Memoires of Casanova, Complete|Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

British Dictionary definitions for carnival

carnival

noun

a festive occasion or period marked by merrymaking, processions, etc: esp in some Roman Catholic countries, the period just before Lent
(as modifier)a carnival atmosphere

a travelling fair having merry-go-rounds, etc

a show or display arranged as an amusement

Australian a sports meeting

Word Origin for carnival

C16: from Italian carnevale, from Old Italian carnelevare a removing of meat (referring to the Lenten fast)

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

Word Origin and History for carnival

carnival

1540s, "time of merrymaking before Lent," from French carnaval, from Italian carnevale "Shrove Tuesday," from older Italian forms such as Milanese *carnelevale, Old Pisan carnelevare "to remove meat," literally "raising flesh," from Latin caro "flesh" (see carnage) + levare "lighten, raise, remove" (see lever (n.)). Folk etymology is from Medieval Latin carne vale " 'flesh, farewell!' " Meaning "a circus or fair" is attested by 1931 in North America.

carnival

noun

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Origin of carnival

Examples from the Web for carnival

carnival

noun

Word Origin for carnival

carnival