1
as in animated
having much high-spirited energy and movement
couples dancing a gay, fast-paced jig
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nonchalant
having or showing freedom from worries or trouble
a gay, thoughtless girl who didn't care whether her work was done or not
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in merry
indicative of or marked by high spirits or good humor
had a gay old time at the party
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in cheerful
having or showing a good mood or disposition
with a gay toss of his coat over his shoulder, the dapper old gentleman set off for the party
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5
as in bright
serving to lift one's spirits
the skylark's gay song lifted me out of my gloom
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in joyful
joyously unrestrained
it was the era of the flappers, and young women were gay, bold, and defiant of convention
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gay
Adjective
-
Diesel, Moritz and Morgan also executive produce an animated Fast & Furious series set at Netflix from DreamWorks Animation.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
11 May 2026 -
Lion Forge Entertainment develops and produces animated and live-action content targeting kids and family, YA and adult audiences.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Snelling recalled telling Carpenter, who responded with a rather nonchalant question.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
-
With all due respect to lace shorts, nonchalant track shorts are already the most coveted shorts of the moment.—
Tatiana Ojea,
Glamour,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
The picture’s eclectic cast, which included Anouk Aimée, Greta Scacchi and Maximilian Schell (with cameos by Faye Dunaway, Holly Hunter and Jeff Goldblum), swirled its merry way across the grand event in search of romance, fame and the ever-elusive movie deal.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
But in the cycling ecosystem, the Rockets are still minnows, a bunch of merry men with a camera — up against teams funded by international business conglomerates and nation states.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
Behind all the cheerful fanfare, holidays can be bitter pills to swallow, reminders of absence and lack and an inability to live up to all that happy hyperbole.—
Felicia Feaster,
AJC.com,
9 May 2026
-
The speakers were agency veterans from the shrunken regional office who did their best to be cheerful.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The food is rustic and cosmopolitan at once — bright, monumental salads, whole carrots and leeks baptized by fire, skeins of pasta, and Parmigiano snowing down — but the secret is the seeming effortlessness.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Eventually, Delta switched the shuttle to one of the main terminals, and in 2021 Spirit moved into the Marine Air Terminal, bringing its bright-yellow livery and ultra-discount business model with it.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince William are the royal family members who currently helm the events, and Goulding shared a joyful message about her ceremony to remember on Wednesday.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
-
Larry’s reunion with his wife and children at Anchorage was a joyful thing to watch, and the rest of us will never forget those phone calls to our families.—
Ben East,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Hsu’s character Kristen is an energetic surfer, who finds joy and freedom in the ocean.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
11 May 2026
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The central region of Messier 77 is dominated by an extremely compact and energetic source that outshines the rest of the galaxy combined, even challenging the sensitivity of the James Webb Space Telescope itself.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
Her blonde hair was left in relaxed waves with a bit of salty texture, creating a carefree aesthetic from head to toe.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
14 May 2026
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At the same time, the overall mood used to feel more relaxed and carefree, as the global situation was simply less tense.—
Christine Mortag,
Condé Nast Traveler,
13 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Gay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gay. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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