n. | 1. | A festival celebrated with merriment and revelry in Roman Gatholic countries during the week before Lent, esp. at Rome and Naples, during a few days (three to ten) before Lent, ending with Shrove Tuesday. |
2. | Any merrymaking, feasting, or masquerading, especially when overstepping the bounds of decorum; a time of riotous excess. |
Noun | 1. | carnival - a festival marked by merrymaking and processions |
2. | carnival - a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a circus or carnival; "it was so funny it was a circus"; "the whole occasion had a carnival atmosphere" Synonyms: circus | |
3. | carnival - a traveling show; having sideshows and rides and games of skill etc. |