gaiety
Americannoun
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the state of being joyous, vivacious, or cheerful.
- Synonyms:
- joviality, cheerfulness, vivacity, hilarity, sportiveness, liveliness, joyousness, jollity, glee, mirth, merriment
- Antonyms:
- sadness
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Often gaieties. merrymaking or festivity.
the gaieties of the New Year season.
-
gaiety of dress.
- Synonyms:
- gaudiness, flashiness, glitter, brilliance
noun
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the state or condition of being merry, bright, or lively
-
festivity; merrymaking
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gaiety
Explanation
A festive, happy event, like a big summer backyard party, will be full of gaiety — or merriment and playfulness. The noun gaiety is the feeling of happiness and delight that might be present at a child's birthday party or a festive square dance. Gaiety can describe a person's generally joyful personality, or the sound of laughter in your house. It comes from the French word gaieté, "joy, merriment, lightheartedness," which evolved from gai, "charming, joyful, happy." The word can be correctly spelled gaiety or gayety, although the first spelling is much more common.
Vocabulary lists containing gaiety
Words for the International Day of Happiness
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The general gaiety of the show doesn’t mean the photos here are slight.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025
Just seven blocks over and five blocks up from where the shell casings hit the sidewalk, they gathered for gaiety in a glitzy ballroom.
From Slate • Mar. 3, 2025
In 1842, the Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette wrote: "Such a scene of gaiety was never before witnessed on Salisbury Plain… Parties of gentlemen and elegantly dressed ladies were scattered about in all directions."
From BBC • Sep. 29, 2023
Beneath the gaiety and carousing ran an undercurrent of anguish: The country remains locked in a ferocious war with Russia.
From Washington Times • Sep. 15, 2023
Beneath the gaudy gaiety of the show, the bright lights, and the lazy laughter, he felt something sullen and dangerous.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
