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bacchanalia

bacchanalia

1 9.9
A wild party with a lot of drinking, dancing, and people having sex
  • noun
  • /ˌbækəˈneɪliə/
  • NSFW
translation icon : bacanal
  • As the night wore on, the celebration transformed into a hedonistic bacchanalia that none of us would soon forget.

Examples

  • The festival turned into a wild bacchanalia filled with dancing, drinking, and laughter.

  • Bobo parents are desperate to believe that the campus bacchanalia that Wolfe describes can't be real—or that if they are, please God let them be confined to the lower orders.

    Blog text (19)
  • "We did have a small bacchanalia planned, but then you had to work late.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Give me a genuine Bacchanalia any day.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • When I got here, the Bacchanalia was over and the nymphs had left.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Tonight, darling, we will have post-heist revelry at bacchanalia.

  • Downtown Hohman was prepared for its yearly bacchanalia... ...of peace on Earth and goodwill to men.

  • But while Hegel's "path of despair" wound up at Golgotha, it at least held out the promise of a bacchanalia of spirits as its sequel.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Store windows still shone brightly, luring you to the impending retail bacchanalia.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Everyone agreed that last night's party was a true bacchanalia with its endless supply of cocktails and live music.

Synonyms

orgy
vsbacchanalia
  • Offensive
22 8.1

A wild party where people drink a lot and have sex with many others

is similar but emphasizes celebratory excess beyond only sexual acts
debauchery
vsbacchanalia
  • NSFW
18 9.1

Too much drinking and sex for pleasure

is event focused rather than a general pattern of indulgent behaviour
riot
vsbacchanalia
  • NSFW
16 5.3

A wild noisy party where people drink a lot

is celebratory in tone rather than primarily violent or disorderly
revelry
vsbacchanalia
9 6.1

Lively noisy party with drinking and dancing

is stronger, involving excess drinking and often sexual promiscuity
bacchanal
vsbacchanalia
  • NSFW
3 9.9

A wild party with a lot of drinking and loud, out-of-control behavior

has the same sense but is the fuller, classical label for such events
debauch
vsbacchanalia
  • NSFW
1 9.9

A wild party with much drinking and sex

focuses more broadly on the whole festive excess rather than a single act
saturnalia
vsbacchanalia
  • NSFW
1 9.9

A time of wild, noisy partying with much drinking and dancing

is nearly identical but leans more to ancient or named festivals
booze-up
vsbacchanalia
  • UK
1 9.0

A party where people drink a lot and have fun

is wilder and more excessive, often adding promiscuous behaviour
drunken revelry
vsbacchanalia
7.9

A loud party where people drink too much and act wild

matches that mood but also often includes explicit sexual promiscuity
carousal
vsbacchanalia
  • Archaic
9.8

A noisy party where people drink and have fun

is more extreme, adding promiscuity and unrestrained excess to the party

Antonyms

47 3.5

Keeping actions or feelings within reasonable limits

45 1.0

A calm time with little or no sound

How Wild

orgy
  • Offensive
22 8.1
bacchanalia
  • NSFW
1 9.9
party
1.0
celebration
430 1.0
gathering
203 1.0

Surface Forms

bacchanalia singular
bacchanalias plural

Etymology

Bacchanalia comes from the name of the Roman god Bacchus, who was the god of 'wine' and wild festivals. Because those old festivals were full of loud music, drinking and wild behavior, bacchanalia now means a wild, out-of-control celebration or party.