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gaily

adverb

ˈgā-lē How to pronounce gaily (audio)
variants also gayly
Definition of gailynext
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

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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

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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 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 gaily Cicadas thrummed gaily, fields shimmered with bird and insect life. — Joyce Carol Oates, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023 The butterflies enter first, quivering gaily atop their sticks. — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 30 Mar. 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
  1. cheerfully
  2. lively
  3. brightly
  4. happily
  5. playfully
  6. colorfully
  7. airily
  8. buoyantly
Adverb
  • Now, the apartment is back on the market — as cheerfully over the top as ever in the listing photos — with Compass brokers Haley Venn and Carl Gambino, who declined to comment.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 16 Sep. 2026
  • But Kelce, unaware of Gracie’s warnings, cheerfully makes a peace sign in response.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of cheerfully
Adverb
  • Fresh dill both in the filling and on top adds herbaceous notes that keep every bite lively.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The Windjammer The Windjammer is part restaurant, part legendary live-music venue, with a buzzy beachfront setting that keeps things lively well beyond dinner.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of lively
Adverb
  • Outside, the sun was shining brightly, a crowd had gathered, and even Carmen Machi (who received the National Film Award at this festival) was peering out from the hotel’s rooftop.
    — Amaia Odriozola, Vanity Fair, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Sweet and juicy, brightly acidic oranges are one of our favorite fruits.
    — Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of brightly
Adverb
  • As the two older girls dig through bins and happily run around with their shopping bags, their stepmom peruses the shelves with her 4-year-old, Galya.
    — Debbie Elliott, NPR, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Traditional KVMs live happily around racks and network switches.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of happily
Adverb
  • With a solid shade range (28 hues—playfully named after Los Angeles locales like DTLA, K-Town, and WeHo as a nod to the brand’s SoCal roots), you’re bound to find a match.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 18 Sep. 2026
  • After replaying Colbert’s Emmy acceptance speech, Kimmel playfully lambasted his friend for giving a sweet paean to his wife, Evie, which made all the other late night hosts look bad with their own wives.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of playfully
Adverb
  • Fans of tiki bars, their goal was a web series, one that looked at the colorfully decorative tropical bars in Southern California.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • All this scattershot world-building and world-visiting allows for some colorfully diverting vignettes, in which production designer Alexandra Walker and costume designer Ann Maskrey get to show off their giddy, gaudy wares.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of colorfully
Adverb
  • 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
Definition of airily
Adverb
  • 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
Definition of buoyantly

Browse Nearby Words

gaiety
gaily
gain
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Cite this Entry

“Gaily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaily. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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