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
-
Sweeney and Dickson have been experimenting with more playful sartorial risks in the few months too; sailor chic via Coperni, subversive corporate attire with a pantsless suit and tie combo via Jean Paul Gaultier, and silky power suiting by Oscar de la Renta.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
1 Oct. 2025
-
January’s energy is heightening your creative side and invites a playful, loving energy into your interactions.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Various cultures interpreted the ephemeral aberrations as fairies, ghosts or spirits.—
Rachel Nuwer,
Scientific American,
29 Sep. 2025
-
On the Blumarine spring 2026 runway in Milan on Friday, models tapped into their inner bohemian-fairy party girl personas with charcoal eyeliner smudged around their eyes, faded hues on their lips and tired waves in their hair.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Discovering its contents, day in and day out throughout the course of the merriest month of the year, will give you a taste of Glasshouse Fragrances’ bestselling formulas that please even the pickiest of noses.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Great American Family is making sure that everyone's television screens remain merry and bright this holiday season!—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And all these dwarves and elves and humans go, ‘What?—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The special will be made available on Disney+ the following day, and the elves will head to ABC’s shelves later in the season.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And thank the faeries for that.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
Popping in for story time and serving goblin snacks on holidays kept me tethered to my clingy girl.—
Nancy Prentice,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Some say the cave system would have connected the goblins from Hopkinsville to Hellier.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fay. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share