1
as in animated
having much high-spirited energy and movement
couples dancing a gay, fast-paced jig
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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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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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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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
-
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 -
The company is taking advantage of California’s recent changes to the tax incentive program expanding the eligible categories of production to include animated movies.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
23 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
-
Looking for an excuse to eat, drink and be merry this weekend?—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Knoxville and his merry band of delightfully sadistic goons are back for one possibly final rodeo.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 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
-
Every seating unfolds to a soundtrack of 90s hip-hop, an unexpected but perfect counterpoint that keeps the room relaxed, energetic, and quietly joyful.—
Lori Fredrich,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 May 2026
-
The royal mom shared the same picture to her Instagram on Monday, along with a joyful message below.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
6 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
-
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
-
The child was carefree, sweet and had stellar attendance at school.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
5 May 2026
-
There’s something in the sound of a steel pan that connects us to something—nostalgia, vacation vibes, carefree living, daiquiris, saltwater, not being at work—even hitting one with a hammer unlocks that feeling.—
Brendan Menapace,
SPIN,
4 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Gay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gay. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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