gay — OET · Shobdo

gay

adjective

1 an organization for gay youngsters:

homosexual, queer, lesbian, lesbigay;

LGBT, LGBTQ, GLBT;

informal pink, lavender;

rare homophile, Uranian;

dated that way.

▷antonyms heterosexual, straight.

2 dated her children all looked chubby and gay:

cheerful, cheery, merry, jolly, light-hearted, mirthful, jovial, glad, happy, bright, in good spirits, in high spirits, joyful, elated, exuberant, animated, lively, sprightly, vivacious, buoyant, bouncy, bubbly, perky, effervescent, playful, frolicsome;

informal chirpy, on top of the world, as happy as a sandboy;

North American, informal as happy as a clam.

▷antonyms gloomy.

3 dated they were having a gay old time:

jolly, merry, convivial, hilarious, amusing, uproarious, rollicking, entertaining, enjoyable;

festive.

▷antonyms dull.

4 dated the windows sported gay checked curtains:

bright, brightly coloured, vivid, brilliant, rich, vibrant;

richly coloured, many-coloured, multicoloured;

flamboyant, gaudy.

▷antonyms drab.

choose the right word

gay

Gay meaning ‘homosexual’ became established in the 1960s as the term preferred by homosexual men. It is now the standard accepted term throughout the English-speaking world. As a result, the centuries-old other senses of gay meaning either ‘carefree’ or ‘bright and showy’ have more or less dropped out of natural use. The word gay cannot be readily used today in these older senses without double entendre, despite attempts to keep them alive.

Gay in its modern sense typically refers to men (lesbian being the standard term for homosexual women) but in some contexts it can be used of both men and women.

gay Oxford Dictionary of English