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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Golden retrievers remained cheerfully oblivious as usual.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
12 June 2026
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Among other curiosities were Matthew Howard and Joseph Pereira cheerfully pulverizing Philip Glass’ Fantasy Concerto for Two Timpanists and Orchestra, as well as Boris Allakhverdyan suavely ghosting jazz legend Artie Shaw in his Clarinet Concerto.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Adverb
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The boat holds a cluster of restaurants that draw a steady stream of Cairo locals, which keeps the dining scene feeling lively well into the evening.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
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What used to feel lively now often feels congested and harder to enjoy.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Adverb
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The stars burn brightly here, shielded from light pollution and city glare, and the rock formations are eerily beautiful in silhouette.—
Tamara Gane,
Travel + Leisure,
15 June 2026
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As a broadcast meteorologist at Kansas City’s local station KCXE, Margaret is frequently on air wearing the seemingly requisite brightly colored, body-con dresses so many people associate with the classic local news anchor lewk.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
Adverb
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Regardless of the extent of Rose’s presence, fans are hoping for her and Peter to get a happy ending the way George Clooney’s ER return for Julianna Margulies’ final episode gave their characters Doug and Carol a happily ever after.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
12 June 2026
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One thing that has shifted since Sendak’s heyday, however, is our baseline of assumptions about how much kids are reading, or how well or how happily, or to what extent the culture that surrounds them is fundamentally hostile to reading.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
Adverb
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Laughing and playfully rolling her eyes, Vivian then took part in an elaborate handshake ritual with her dad.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
14 June 2026
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At another event that month, celebrating his great-grandmother's 70-year-reign, the young prince playfully poked his tongue out at mother Catherine, turning his nose up with his thumb.—
Jennifer Hassan,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
Adverb
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Mabe Fratti and Bill Orcutt’s collaboration didn’t begin colorfully or dramatically; Fratti just liked Orcutt and said so publicly, prompting Orcutt to reach out, which resulted in their working—remotely, mostly—on a series of pieces.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
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Lifetime Achievement Award-winner Poltz was colorfully introduced by his longtime musician friend, former San Diego Padres second baseman and third base coach Tim Flannery.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 May 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 17 Jun. 2026.
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