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
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Recent Examples of gaily
The butterflies enter first, quivering gaily atop their sticks.
—
Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023
Keep us gaily making pins!
—Kim Phillips-Fein, The New Republic, 27 Feb. 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
Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023
Keep us gaily making pins!
—Kim Phillips-Fein, The New Republic, 27 Feb. 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
Adverb
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Indeed, Calvin is cheerfully lobotomizing a snowman.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
-
In Atlanta, my hometown airport, cheerfully marketed as the world’s busiest, had descended into organized chaos.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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The voice cast from the first installment keeps the film lively.—
Zaki Hasan,
San Francisco Chronicle,
31 Mar. 2026
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Young hunters can also expect pennies, treats and other surprises along the route—enough to keep the afternoon lively.—
Debby Rice,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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At that moment, the sun began to shine brightly, the wind picked up and the curtain fluttered violently.—
Kamala Thiagarajan,
NPR,
26 Apr. 2026
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But while the hallways look full and the display windows are brightly lit and well-stocked, many people enter and leave empty-handed.—
CNN Staff,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Each time, the friends put down their cans of Miller Lite and happily obliged.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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If any kind of Bo-Sean disconnect deepens, and the Penners don’t pick a side, history will happily do it for them.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Doncic playfully slapped Maxi Kleber on the back of the head when Kleber was shooting during a Game 4 timeout.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Penguins darted beneath us, marine iguanas grazed on algae, and sea lions twirled playfully in the water.—
David Morris,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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The characters are colorfully dressed but also comfortably.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
9 Apr. 2026
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Sean McGinley’s sound design ties it all together with atmospheric cues that bridge the eras as do Jamie Godwin’s colorfully gorgeous projection designs.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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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
Adverb
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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
Cite this Entry
“Gaily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaily. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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