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Glite Dictionary
bacchanalian

bacchanalian

1 9.9
A loud, wild party with a lot of drinking and dancing
  • adjective
  • /ˌbækəˈneɪliən/
  • Literature
translation icon : bacanal
  • These elements of social inversion carried forward in a linkage of Christmas with reversal or even carnival, with its wholesale social reconfigurations and bacchanalian revelry.
  • bacchanalian revelry

So he's got this, this famous passage talking about the the bacchanalian revel in which no member is is not drunk.

Examples

  • The festival was known for its bacchanalian spirit, with loud music and wild dancing lasting until dawn.

  • So he's got this, this famous passage talking about the the bacchanalian revel in which no member is is not drunk.

    Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy

  • Bacchanalian orgies, Robert called them.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • We get the word cereal from Ceres and bacchanalian from from Bacchus, bread and bread and wine, right?

  • He meandered down an aisle filled with sculptures of bacchanalian orgies.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • I served oysters, which she took between thumb and forefinger and slurped up with bacchanalian relish, revealing a pearl between her teeth.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • PARIS -- Nicolas Sarkozy, the former president of France, is said to be a teetotaler, but that has not stopped his wife, Carla Bruni, from headlining one of the most bacchanalian events on the French wine and social calendar.

    Blog text (32)

  • During the summer, the town hosts a bacchanalian celebration where people indulge in food, drink, and merriment.

  • The guests enjoyed a bacchanalian night filled with laughter, dancing, and an abundance of wine.

Synonyms

drunken
vsbacchanalian
168 2.8

Having too much alcohol in the body and behaving loudly or strangely

is noisy celebration involving revelry rather than mere intoxicated state
boozy
vsbacchanalian
  • Informal
7 7.7

Full of alcohol or involving a lot of drinking

is noisy drunken revelry that emphasizes wild celebration not just drinking
orgiastic
vsbacchanalian
1 9.9

Full of wild, noisy celebration with much drinking and dancing

is noisy drunken revelry but not always as extreme or ritualized
bacchic
vsbacchanalian
  • Archaic
9.9

Full of wild, noisy drinking and dancing

is noisy drunken celebration but may describe less intense partying
bacchantic
vsbacchanalian
  • Archaic
9.9

Very wild and noisy because people are drinking and celebrating

is noisy drunken celebration focusing on the event rather than the people
Dionysiac
vsbacchanalian
  • Literature
9.9

Wild, emotional energy like at a loud, joyful party

is noisy drunken celebration limited to actual revelry not artistic quality

Antonyms

sober
269 3.2

Not having drunk alcohol or taken drugs

restrained
5.3

Calm and controlled, not strong or showy

How Wild

orgiastic
  • Offensive
1 9.9
bacchanalian
  • Literature
1 9.9
riotous
2 7.9
lively
111 1.3
mild
107 1.0

Surface Forms

bacchanalian positive

Morphology

bacchanalian = bacchanal (semi-transparent) = bacchanal + ian

Formed regularly from 'bacchanal' + '-ian', but understanding requires cultural knowledge of Bacchus/Bacchanalia which many learners lack.

Etymology

The word bacchanalian comes from the name Bacchus, the Roman 'god of wine', whose festivals were loud, full of drinking and wild dancing. So bacchanalian now means a noisy, drunken celebration.