carnivalesque
adjective
car·ni·val·esque
ˌkär-nə-və-ˈlesk 
1
: suggestive of a carnival
a carnivalesque celebration
2
: marked by an often mocking or satirical challenge to authority and the traditional social hierarchy
a carnivalesque protest
Examples of carnivalesque in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kaddu embodies the carnivalesque spirit of the NFL in London, which has been hosting regular-season games since 2007.
—
Erin Florio, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026
But by the mid-1930s, Soviet leaders sensed that people needed something to take the edge off in the dead of winter, a carnivalesque custom of the sort that Christmas once provided.
—Andrew Fedorov, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
The film’s centerpiece is a chaotic, carnivalesque parade of surrealistic characters marching through Tokyo.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
With their flared, fringed petals, the flowers have a carnivalesque presence, but Oppenheim’s spare installation cuts the comedy.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carnivalesque
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Erin Florio, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026
But by the mid-1930s, Soviet leaders sensed that people needed something to take the edge off in the dead of winter, a carnivalesque custom of the sort that Christmas once provided.
—Andrew Fedorov, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
The film’s centerpiece is a chaotic, carnivalesque parade of surrealistic characters marching through Tokyo.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
With their flared, fringed petals, the flowers have a carnivalesque presence, but Oppenheim’s spare installation cuts the comedy.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carnivalesque
Cite this Entry
“Carnivalesque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carnivalesque. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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