fay 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of faynext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fay

2 of 2

noun

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
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
  1. playful
  2. fairy
  3. merry
  4. elf
  5. faerie
  6. goblin
  7. dwarf
Adjective
  • The stone in the shower had an almost iridescent quality to it, reminiscent of a seashell, a playful nod to Maui’s beaches.
    — Ronee Uyeshiro, Travel + Leisure, 26 July 2026
  • Pieces that are personal, playful, and don’t quite match are the ones that make a room or an outfit unmistakably one’s own.
    — ALEX EAGLE, Vogue, 26 July 2026
Definition of playful
Noun
  • Disney made its name on the back of fairy and folktales, retelling centuries-old stories and giving them a fresh new spin for modern audiences.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 24 July 2026
  • Decapitated, the fairy of Smoking with Oneself (2021–26) puffs a cigarette from the gaping red maw of her throat.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of fairy
Adjective
  • But Margaret and Alice’s quick-witted machinations provide the basis for a merry outing at the theater.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
  • Four hundred years later, a merry band of scientists and entrepreneurs of mind-altering intoxicants are plunging even deeper into the diabolical by mechanizing DMT’s delivery via IV syringe pumps.
    — Charles Moss, SPIN, 16 July 2026
Definition of merry
Noun
  • Reading allows children to live in a vibrant world, surrounded by fairies, elves and talking animals, transporting them to places where the impossible becomes real.
    — Michelle Kearney, The Conversation, 7 July 2026
  • Ferrell starred as Buddy in the 2003 Christmas classic, which focused on a human adopted by elves and raised as an elf in the North Pole until one day, as an adult, discovering his true identity.
    — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026
Definition of elf
Noun
  • Maeve learns that the legends she was raised on — stories of faeries, kelpies and seelies — are actually true.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
  • The plays are set in locations as varied as courts, forests, battlefields, and even the realm of faerie.
    — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of faerie
Noun
  • Two years ago, the Man City phenom appeared in a 90-second spot for the game that saw him get recruited to storm a castle teeming with goblins, dragons and impish skeletons.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 June 2026
  • Follow the babe with the power into Jim Henson’s gloriously weird fantasy wonderland, where goblins sing, doors argue, and David Bowie’s Goblin King serves enough glam-rock charisma to power an entire kingdom.
    — Arushi Jacob, Variety, 24 June 2026
Definition of goblin
Noun
  • Norse mythology reinforced this tradition through the story of Fafnir, a dwarf transformed into a dragon by his overwhelming greed for a cursed hoard of gold.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026
  • All fir trees are useful to birds, and some are available in dwarf form for smaller gardens.
    — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 July 2026
Definition of dwarf

Browse Nearby Words

fawns
fay
fays
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Cite this Entry

“Fay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fay. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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