gay

gay

adjective

Definition of GAY

1

having much high-spirited energy and movement <couples dancing a gay, fast-paced jig>

Synonyms active, airy, animate, animated, bouncing, brisk, energetic, frisky, gay, jaunty, jazzy, kinetic, mettlesome, peppy, perky, pert, pizzazzy (or pizazzy), racy, snappy, spanking, sparky, spirited, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy

Related Words dapper, dashing, spiffy; agog, alert, awake, open-eyed, up, wide-awake; agile, nimble, spry; bright, buoyant, cheerful, chipper, chirpy, chirrupy, effervescent, sparkly, upbeat; eager, enthusiastic, keen; frolicsome, impish, pixieish, playful; boisterous, bubbly, ebullient, exuberant, high-spirited; high-strung, nervous, skittish

Near Antonyms indolent, lazy, unambitious; inert, lethargic, sleepy, sluggish, tired, torpid, weary; apathetic, impassive, phlegmatic, stolid; boring, dull, irksome, tedious

Antonyms dead, inactive, inanimate, lackadaisical, languid, languishing, languorous, leaden, lifeless, limp, listless, spiritless, vapid

2

having or showing freedom from worries or trouble <a gay, thoughtless girl who didn't care whether her work was done or not>

Synonyms blithe, debonair, devil-may-care, gay, happy-go-lucky, insouciant, lighthearted, lightsome, slaphappy, unconcerned

Related Words blasé (also blase), breezy, cavalier, nonchalant; casual, easygoing, informal, laid-back, low-pressure, relaxed, unfussy

Near Antonyms earnest, grave, serious, serious-minded, somber (or sombre); careful, cautious, heedful, wary; anxious, concerned, upset, worried; long-suffering, overburdened, sorrowful

Antonyms careworn

3

indicative of or marked by high spirits or good humor <had a gay old time at the party>

Synonyms blithesome, festive, gay, gleeful, jocose, jocular, jocund, jolly, jovial, laughing, mirthful, sunny

Related Words amused, beaming, chuckling, giggling, smiling; bright, buoyant, carefree, cheerful, cheery, chipper, lighthearted, lightsome, upbeat; animated, bouncing, frisky, jaunty, lively, peppy, perky, spirited, sprightful, sprightly, vivacious, zippy; blessed (also blest), blissful, delighted, ecstatic, elated, enraptured, entranced, euphoric, exhilarated, exuberant, exultant, gladsome, happy, high, joyful, joyous, jubilant, overjoyed, radiant, rapturous, ravished, thrilled, tickled; amusing, facetious, flippant, frolicsome, funny, hilarious, jesting, joking, joshing, playful, sportive, witty; cavalier, devil-may-care, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, insouciant, unconcerned; hopeful, optimistic, rosy, sanguine; antic, comic, comical, farcical, humorous, riotous, sidesplitting, uproarious

Near Antonyms abject, aggrieved, anguished, blue, brokenhearted, crestfallen, dejected, depressed, despondent, disconsolate, disheartened, dispirited, downcast, downhearted, forlorn, glum, heartbroken, heartsick, heavyhearted, low-spirited, melancholy, sad, saddened, sorrowful, unhappy; crying, groaning, moaning, sobbing, wailing, weeping; discontented, disgruntled, moody; doleful, dolorous, joyless, lachrymose, lugubrious, mournful, plaintive, sorry, woeful; black, bleak, cheerless, comfortless, dark, depressing, desolate, dismal, dreary, gloomy, glum, gray (also grey), morose, saturnine, somber (or sombre), sullen; miserable, woebegone, wretched; dull, lethargic, listless, sluggish, torpid

4

having or showing a good mood or disposition <with a gay toss of his coat over his shoulder, the dapper old gentleman set off for the party>

Synonyms blithe, blithesome, bright, buoyant, canty [British dialect], cheery, chipper, eupeptic, gay, gladsome, lightsome, sunny, upbeat, winsome

Related Words hopeful, optimistic, rosy, sanguine; animated, chirpy, jaunty, lilting, lively, perky, sprightful, sprightly, vivacious; carefree, careless, cavalier, devil-may-care, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, insouciant, lighthearted, unconcerned; boon, gleeful, jocund, jolly, jovial, merry, mirthful; blissful, delighted, glad, gratified, happy, joyful, joyous, pleased, satisfied, tickled; beaming, grinning, laughing, smiling

Near Antonyms joyless, sad, unhappy, unsatisfied; dull, lethargic, listless, sluggish, torpid; blue, brokenhearted, crestfallen, dejected, depressed, despondent, disconsolate, disheartened, down, downcast, downhearted, droopy, forlorn, hangdog, heavyhearted, inconsolable, low, low-spirited, melancholy, mirthless, sorrowful

Antonyms dour, gloomy, glum, morose, saturnine, sulky, sullen

5

serving to lift one's spirits <the skylark's gay song lifted me out of my gloom>

Synonyms bright, cheering, cheery, gay, glad

Related Words gladdening, heartening, heartwarming; gleaming, radiant, sparkling

Near Antonyms discouraging, disheartening; colorless, drab, dull, lackluster, lusterless; black, desolate, dispiriting

Antonyms bleak, cheerless, dark, depressing, dismal, dreary, gloomy, gray (also grey)

6

joyously unrestrained <it was the era of the flappers, and young women were gay, bold, and defiant of convention>

Synonyms bouncy, bubbly, buoyant, crank [chiefly dialect], effervescent, frolic, frolicsome, gamesome, gay, high-spirited, vivacious

Related Words extroverted (also extraverted), outgoing, uninhibited; carefree, happy-go-lucky, insouciant, joyful, lighthearted, lively, sprightly; boisterous, raucous, rollicking, rowdy; giddy, light-headed, overexuberant, silly; ecstatic, euphoric, lyric, rapturous; audacious, bold, brash, brazen, impertinent, impudent, insolent, saucy

Near Antonyms constrained, inhibited, repressed, restrained, subdued; impassive, phlegmatic, stoic (or stoical), stolid; depressed, dour, glum, morose, surly

Antonyms low-spirited, sullen