as in playful
given to good-natured joking or teasing
with her slight build and perky manner, the actress was usually cast as the fay young woman who charms all the men in town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fairy
an imaginary being usually having a small human form and magical powers
in the tale a fay appears in the form of a beautiful and serene woman with an angelic air and a billowy gown
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 fay
Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 25 June 2022
Noun
Almshouse dwellers, sitting in the sun, watching the surging tide and the glistening water, tell of spirits and banshees and fays.
—Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 25 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fay
Adjective
-
What disrupts the playful opening to what will become a quietly devastating look at PTSD, however, is a sudden cut to a girl crouching next to the body.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
7 Mar. 2025
-
This album embodies the playful, confident and bold nature of this Fire sign, with Gaga bringing out her inner theatre kid.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Tristan’s on pigeon patrol, and a merry Christmas to all.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Tori Spelling's daughter didn't have the merriest of Christmases last year.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
24 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Featuring humans, elves, orcs and other fantastical creatures engaging in wars, treasure hunts and campaigns, the D&D game, one of Hasbro’s key franchise brands hailing from Wizards of the Coast, is overseen by a host, known as the Dungeon Master, and employs a signature multisided dice.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2025
-
Prince on the Shelf A young Prince Harry dressed up as a red and green elf to take part in his school's nativity play.—
Stephanie Petit,
People.com,
25 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The Unseelie Court is the bastion of malevolent faeries who harm humans for their amusement or to exact revenge.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
27 Nov. 2024
-
That’s in addition to the strange creatures that roam the countryside such as faeries and dragon.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes,
6 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
This is your starting point, and where the brother from the story encountered the water goblin.—
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
-
That often means providing upgrades of low level monsters rather than just throwing more goblins at a problem.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fay. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share