as in playful
given to good-natured joking or teasing
with her slight build and perky manner, the actress was usually cast as the fay young woman who charms all the men in town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fairy
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers
in the tale a fay appears in the form of a beautiful and serene woman with an angelic air and a billowy gown
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fay
Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Almshouse dwellers, sitting in the sun, watching the surging tide and the glistening water, tell of spirits and banshees and fays.
—Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 25 June 2022
Noun
The series stars McGregor as Count Rostov, a fay member of Czarist Russia’s ruling class, who was living in comfort in his estates until the revolution of 1917 overthrew the old order.
—Rob Salkowitz, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Almshouse dwellers, sitting in the sun, watching the surging tide and the glistening water, tell of spirits and banshees and fays.
—Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 25 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fay
Adjective
-
The two then engaged in playful flirtation that escalated into a steamy encounter in another stall.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
18 May 2025
-
Plus, the playful green shade will add a pop of color to any summer travel wardrobe.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
Not so merry Mary Nothing was ever easy for Mary this season.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
8 May 2025
-
Paul Kent and his merry musical men will be live from 7-9 p.m., Los Gatos Coffee Company, 101 W. Main St., Los Gatos.—
Jake Richardson,
The Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Meanwhile, as friendships across the kingdoms are strained by the ripple effects of the Dark Lord’s actions, the forces of good — elves, dwarves, men, Harfoots and a wizard named Gandalf (Weyman) — try to valiantly hold on to what matters to them most of all: each other.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
8 May 2025
-
Photograph: Ying Tang/Getty Images While children are told stories about elves and reindeer, the truth is that hundreds of thousands of people work year-round to make sure Christmas feels magical.—
Zeyi Yang,
Wired News,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Unseelie Court is the bastion of malevolent faeries who harm humans for their amusement or to exact revenge.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
27 Nov. 2024
-
For instance, people used to hang iron on their doors at night to keep faeries and demons out of their homes (talismans) and a knock on the door in the middle of the night was to be ignored, for surely some evil spirit was lurking outside.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
27 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
From its protrusible jaw to its ability to hunt in every environment, the goblin shark exemplifies adaptation to the extremes.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
30 Dec. 2024
-
Thousands of visitors showed up dressed as their favorite characters from all parts of pop culture — superheroes and supervillains, wizards, elves, goblins, animals, Ghostbusters, Jedi and Sith, who all are calling Kansas City home base from Friday, March 21, to Sunday, March 23.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fay. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share