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 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 With the Meyerson gaily festooned for the holiday season, there were lighting effects and some projections. — Dallas News, 26 Nov. 2022 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
  • My second appointment is with Dr Mohit Mangla, the allopathic consultant, who explains cheerfully that Tulåh prioritizes Ayurveda, albeit viewed through the lens of modern medicine.
    — Susan D'Arcy, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 June 2026
  • Most of them answered the phone cheerfully.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
Definition of cheerfully
Adverb
  • One day, a young Jonah — lively as ever — jumped knee-first onto his father’s lap, in the wheelchair.
    — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 21 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of lively
Adverb
  • Despite star Alphonso Davies starting the match on the bench, Canada began the game brightly, pressing Morocco very successfully and threatening its goal frequently throughout the first quarter of the match.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • The base of this simple mocktail is a ginger-lime cordial that's brightly flavored and not too sweet.
    — Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 2 July 2026
Definition of brightly
Adverb
  • One of their favorites is driving to one of Oregon’s scenic viewpoints, Pilot Butte, to watch the sunset, where Middaugh often brings her professional camera, while Ward happily snaps photos on his iPhone.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
  • Youngsters romped through the crowd, happily indulging in eggthrowing or dunking-machine antics or trying to climb to the pinnacle of a greased pole, where a $20 bill waited.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 July 2026
Definition of happily
Adverb
  • In a video posted on social media warning New Yorkers about an ongoing heat wave, Mamdani playfully referenced the event.
    — Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
  • His employees had posed playfully for photos over the body of a woman who had died by suicide.
    — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
Definition of playfully
Adverb
  • In what turns out to be the biggest moment in Neil’s young serving career, the handyman and Berzatto family friend keeps his composure and colorfully chats up the diner everyone believed was the Michelin-star inspector.
    — Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 26 June 2026
  • 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
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 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of gaily for Spanish Speakers

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