gaily
Americanadverb
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with merriment; merrily; joyfully; cheerfully.
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with showiness; showily.
adverb
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in a lively manner; cheerfully
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with bright colours; showily
Etymology
Origin of gaily
A Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at gay, -ly
Explanation
When you do something gaily, you do it in a happy, carefree way. If you're really glad that your cousins are visiting, you'll wave gaily to them as they pull up in your driveway. This adverb is ideal for things done in a merry or blithe fashion, like when your dog trots gaily down the sidewalk, wagging his tail, or a bunch of kids laugh gaily together at a silly joke. It's all about happiness in the moment. The word comes from the Middle English gai, "joyful, happy, or pleasant." If vocabulary is your favorite thing, you'll gaily dive into word quizzes and games whenever you get the chance.
Vocabulary lists containing gaily
Let's Go Caroling, List 3
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Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
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Novel Study: Bless Me, Ultima, Chapters 1–9
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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.
But she has skipped gaily upon each milestone, obscuring the nature and means of that progress.
From Slate ● Jan. 9, 2024
The butterflies enter first, quivering gaily atop their sticks.
From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2023
He played Stuff on the night I attended, gaily tromping around with shopping bags as Everybody, looking for some support, comes to recognize that this embodiment of acquisitiveness cares nothing about salvation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2022
The scene in question shows her determination to get them on her page: Julia gaily waltzes into the offices of WGBH, cake plate in hand and ready to negotiate with a side of sugar.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2022
“Good-by! Good-by!” they called, and off they went, the horses trotting gaily and the sleigh bells ringing.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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.
