variants
also gayly
1
as in cheerfully
in a cheerful or happy manner
we sat around the table, gaily teasing each other and laughing about the good old days
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lively
in a quick and spirited manner
children gaily running to the buses on the last day of school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brightly
in a manner that is colorful and tends to arouse gaiety
the Mexican dancers were gaily dressed in lavish, bright costumes
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of gaily
The butterflies enter first, quivering gaily atop their sticks.
—
Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023
Keep us gaily making pins!
—Kim Phillips-Fein, The New Republic, 27 Feb. 2023
With the Meyerson gaily festooned for the holiday season, there were lighting effects and some projections.
—Dallas News, 26 Nov. 2022
To make the gamma ray bells ring out gaily, the player lifts the little lead casings that cover the materials—and can do so in a rhythmic fashion to make a strange kind of song.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 24 July 2018
See All Example Sentences for gaily
Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023
Keep us gaily making pins!
—Kim Phillips-Fein, The New Republic, 27 Feb. 2023
With the Meyerson gaily festooned for the holiday season, there were lighting effects and some projections.
—Dallas News, 26 Nov. 2022
To make the gamma ray bells ring out gaily, the player lifts the little lead casings that cover the materials—and can do so in a rhythmic fashion to make a strange kind of song.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 24 July 2018
See All Example Sentences for gaily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gaily
Adverb
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Indeed, Calvin is cheerfully lobotomizing a snowman.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
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In Atlanta, my hometown airport, cheerfully marketed as the world’s busiest, had descended into organized chaos.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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The voice cast from the first installment keeps the film lively.—
Zaki Hasan,
San Francisco Chronicle,
31 Mar. 2026
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Young hunters can also expect pennies, treats and other surprises along the route—enough to keep the afternoon lively.—
Debby Rice,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Portage police added that while some students play the game safely using brightly colored water guns, others have created dangerous situations that can trigger panic.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
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Every chain is covered with a rust-protective vinyl cover which may be brightly colored for visibility depending on the length and strength.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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In the wild, groundhogs feed on a variety of plants and some insects, but in gardens, groundhogs happily devour most vegetables, as well as fruit, bulbs, and tree bark.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Apr. 2026
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Bridges has happily accepted the schematic change, which consists of him exploiting mismatches, rebounding, and recognizing when to step up versus defer to teammates.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Brown, 56, playfully picked up the phone and spoke into it, while giving a lecture on reporters' need to keep their phones muted.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
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Following her Instagram debut, Bullock wasted no time supporting and playfully teasing her friends and former costars on the social media platform.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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The characters are colorfully dressed but also comfortably.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
9 Apr. 2026
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Sean McGinley’s sound design ties it all together with atmospheric cues that bridge the eras as do Jamie Godwin’s colorfully gorgeous projection designs.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Still, while these surfaces are clearly meant to reflect deeper emotional and cultural truths, Coppola’s mining of them is done glancingly, airily.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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The song's interplay between choir and orchestra is buoyantly euphoric, opening a door to bolder, more intentionally progressive and soulful sounds in the country's mainstream.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gaily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaily. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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