VOOZH about

URL: https://www.wordreference.com/definition/carnival

⇱ carnival - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

carnival

Listen:
UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈkɑːrnɪvəl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈkɑrnəvəl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(kär′nə vəl)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
car•ni•val /ˈkɑrnəvəl/USA pronunciation   n. 
  1. [countable] a traveling amusement show having games, rides, etc.
  2. [countable] a festival: a winter carnival.
  3. the season preceding Lent:[uncountable]We went to Brazil for carnival.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
car•ni•val  (kär′nə vəl),USA pronunciation n. 
  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.
  3. the season immediately preceding Lent, often observed with merrymaking;
    Shrovetide.
  • Latin levāre to lift
  • Latin carnem, accusative of caro) + levare
  • Italian carnevale, Old Italian carnelevare taking meat away, equivalent. to carne flesh (
  • 1540–50
car′ni•val•esque′, car′ni•val•like′, adj. 
    2. fair, celebration, fete, holiday.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
carnival /ˈkɑːnɪvəl/ n
    • 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
  2. a travelling fair having merry-go-rounds, etc
  3. a show or display arranged as an amusement
  4. Austral a sports meeting
Etymology: 16th Century: from Italian carnevale, from Old Italian carnelevare a removing of meat (referring to the Lenten fast)
'carnival' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "carnival" in the title:


Look up "carnival" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "carnival" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!
Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.
Firefox users: use search shortcuts for the fastest search of WordReference.
Copyright © 2026 WordReference.com
Please report any problems.