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
• merrily
• cheerily
• smilingly
• jovially
• jocosely
• mirthfully
• heartily
• brightly
• joyfully
• joyously
• exuberantly
• blithely
• giddily
• laughingly
• amusedly
• breezily
• blissfully
• lightheartedly
• friendly
• gladly
• good-naturedly
• jocularly
• sunnily
• amicably
• optimistically
• 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
• trippingly
• sprightly
• bouncily
• briskly
• livelily
• jauntily
• energetically
• snappily
• sportively
• animately
• sparkily
• friskily
• crisply
• breezily
• high-spiritedly
• racily
• effervescently
• skittishly
• agilely
• cockily
• spryly
• dashingly
• jazzily
• nimbly
• springily
• dapperly
• allegro
• 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
• neatly
• colorfully
• bravely
• brilliantly
• loudly
• ostentatiously
• gaudily
• flamboyantly
• loud
• garishly
• flashily
• pertly
• richly
• conspicuously
• smartly
• splendidly
• ornately
• strikingly
• 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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of gaily

Passengers stood at the windows, waving gaily. —Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2021

With the Meyerson gaily festooned for the holiday season, there were lighting effects and some projections. —Dallas News, 26 Nov. 2022

All the elements to the left of plutonium in the periodic table are quite willing to share electrons with each other, gaily forming compounds hither and thither; the elements to the right, far less so. —Valerie Brown, Discover Magazine, 28 Sep. 2018

The movie is a beastly thing, and proud of it—a gaily sadistic kerfuffle, from which all traces of tenderness have been expunged. —Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2022