Synonyms of gaily

gaily

adverb

ˈgā-lē 

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

• cheerfully
• happily
• brightly
• merrily
• cheerily
• smilingly
• joyfully
• jovially
• jocosely
• mirthfully
• heartily
• joyously
• exuberantly
• blithely
• giddily
• laughingly
• amusedly
• breezily
• lightheartedly
• friendly
• gladly
• good-naturedly
• jocularly
• sunnily
• optimistically
• amicably
• blissfully
• rapturously
• good-humoredly
• hopefully
• sanguinely
• friendlily
• euphorically
• gigglingly
• elatedly
• blithesomely
• gladsomely

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• heavily
• unhappily
• darkly
• miserably
• morosely
• dejectedly
• bleakly
• disconsolately
• mournfully
• despondently
• sorrowfully
• wretchedly
• dolefully
• forlornly
• abjectly
• plaintively
• sternly
• sullenly
• dispiritedly
• cheerlessly
• glumly
• sulkily
• sourly
• gloomily
• dourly
• dolorously
• drearily
• dismally
• pessimistically
• blackly
• mirthlessly

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

• lively
• playfully
• airily
• buoyantly
• spiritedly
• pertly
• vivaciously
• animatedly
• perkily
• animately
• trippingly
• sprightly
• energetically
• bouncily
• briskly
• livelily
• jauntily
• snappily
• sportively
• sparkily
• friskily
• crisply
• breezily
• agilely
• allegro
• high-spiritedly
• racily
• effervescently
• skittishly
• cockily
• spryly
• dashingly
• jazzily
• nimbly
• springily
• dapperly
• gamesomely

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sluggishly
• dully
• lazily
• idly
• tardily
• indolently
• halfheartedly
• lethargically
• wearily
• heavily
• listlessly
• tiredly
• inanimately
• slothfully
• inactively

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brightly
• colorfully
• bravely
• brilliantly
• neatly
• ostentatiously
• loudly
• gaudily
• flamboyantly
• loud
• garishly
• flashily
• pertly
• richly
• smartly
• conspicuously
• splendidly
• strikingly
• ornately
• gallantly
• gorgeously
• spectacularly
• nattily
• luridly
• dashingly
• spiffily
• fancily
• swankily
• snappily
• jazzily
• dapperly
• shockingly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dully
• unobtrusively
• inconspicuously
• demurely
• quietly
• modestly
• chastely
• drably
• boringly
• simply
• plainly
• conservatively
• unpretentiously
• somberly
• severely
• colorlessly
• bleakly

Example Sentences

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