Gay — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

someone who practices homosexuality; having a sexual attraction to persons of the same sex

bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɡˈeɪ/

🇬🇧British English

/ɡˈeɪ/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɡˈeɪ/

1 syllable Say it as /ɡˈeɪ/.

Examples

a cheery hello
a gay sunny room
a sunny smile

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

merry mirthful sunny brave braw queer homophile festive cheery homo jolly jocund jovial festal homosexual

Parts of Speech

noun	someone who practices homosexuality; having a sexual attraction to persons of the same sex
adjective	bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer “a cheery hello”
adjective	full of or showing high-spirited merriment; ; - Wordsworth “when hearts were young and gay”
adjective	given to social pleasures often including dissipation “led a gay Bohemian life”
adjective	brightly colored and showy “girls decked out in brave new dresses”
adjective	offering fun and gaiety “a festive (or festal) occasion”
adjective	homosexual or arousing homosexual desires

Word Forms

homosexual	adjective	sexually attracted to members of your own sex
gay	adjective	homosexual or arousing homosexual desires
cheer	noun	the quality of being cheerful and dispelling gloom
sunniness	noun	the quality of being cheerful and dispelling gloom
jocundity	noun	a feeling facetious merriment
jolly	noun	a happy party
jolliness	noun	feeling jolly and jovial and full of good humor
jollity	noun	feeling jolly and jovial and full of good humor
joviality	noun	feeling jolly and jovial and full of good humor
merriness	noun	the trait of merry joking
mirthfulness	noun	great merriment
festivity	noun	any joyous diversion
gay	noun	someone who practices homosexuality; having a sexual attraction to persons of the same sex
gayness	noun	a sexual attraction to (or sexual relations with) persons of the same sex
queerness	noun	a sexual attraction to (or sexual relations with) persons of the same sex

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

schwul

jemand, der Homosexualität praktiziert; eine sexuelle Anziehungskraft auf Personen des gleichen Geschlechts haben

🇪🇸Spanish

homosexuales

alguien que practica la homosexualidad; tener atracción sexual hacia personas del mismo sexo

🇳🇱Dutch

homo

iemand die homoseksualiteit beoefent; zich seksueel aangetrokken voelen tot personen van hetzelfde geslacht

🇵🇹Portuguese

homossexual

alguém que pratica a homossexualidade; ter atração sexual por pessoas do mesmo sexo

🇷🇺Russian

гей

тот, кто практикует гомосексуальность; наличие сексуального влечения к лицам своего пола

India

🇮🇳Hindi

समलैंगिक

कोई व्यक्ति जो समलैंगिकता का अभ्यास करता है; समान लिंग के व्यक्तियों के प्रति यौन आकर्षण होना

🇧🇩Bengali

সমকামী

যে কেউ সমকামিতা অনুশীলন করে; একই লিঙ্গের ব্যক্তিদের প্রতি যৌন আকর্ষণ

🇮🇳Tamil

ஓரின சேர்க்கையாளர்

ஓரினச்சேர்க்கையில் ஈடுபடும் ஒருவர்; ஒரே பாலினத்தவர்களிடம் பாலியல் ஈர்ப்பு

🇮🇳Telugu

స్వలింగ సంపర్కుడు

స్వలింగ సంపర్కాన్ని అభ్యసించే వ్యక్తి; ఒకే లింగానికి చెందిన వ్యక్తులపై లైంగిక ఆకర్షణ కలిగి ఉండటం

🇮🇳Marathi

समलिंगी

समलैंगिकता सराव करणारा कोणीतरी; समान लिंगाच्या व्यक्तींबद्दल लैंगिक आकर्षण असणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

ગે

કોઈ વ્યક્તિ જે સમલૈંગિકતાનો અભ્યાસ કરે છે; સમાન લિંગની વ્યક્તિઓ પ્રત્યે જાતીય આકર્ષણ હોવું

🇮🇳Kannada

ಸಲಿಂಗಕಾಮಿ

ಸಲಿಂಗಕಾಮವನ್ನು ಅಭ್ಯಾಸ ಮಾಡುವ ಯಾರಾದರೂ; ಒಂದೇ ಲಿಂಗದ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಲೈಂಗಿಕ ಆಕರ್ಷಣೆಯನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿರುವುದು

🇮🇳Malayalam

സ്വവർഗ്ഗാനുരാഗി

സ്വവർഗരതി ആചരിക്കുന്ന ഒരാൾ; ഒരേ ലിംഗത്തിലുള്ളവരോട് ലൈംഗിക ആകർഷണം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਗੇ

ਕੋਈ ਵਿਅਕਤੀ ਜੋ ਸਮਲਿੰਗਤਾ ਦਾ ਅਭਿਆਸ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ; ਇੱਕੋ ਲਿੰਗ ਦੇ ਵਿਅਕਤੀਆਂ ਪ੍ਰਤੀ ਜਿਨਸੀ ਖਿੱਚ ਹੋਣਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

ہم جنس پرست

کوئی جو ہم جنس پرستی پر عمل کرتا ہے؛ ایک ہی جنس کے افراد کی طرف جنسی کشش رکھنا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

同性恋

有同性恋行为的人；对同性有性吸引力

🇯🇵Japanese

ゲイ

同性愛を実践する人。同性に対して性的魅力を感じる

🇰🇷Korean

게이

동성애를 실천하는 사람; 동성에게 성적 매력을 느끼는 것

🇻🇳Vietnamese

đồng tính nam

một người thực hành đồng tính luyến ái; có sự hấp dẫn tình dục với người cùng giới

🇹🇭Thai

เกย์

คนที่ปฏิบัติรักร่วมเพศ; มีความต้องการทางเพศต่อบุคคลเพศเดียวกัน

🇮🇩Indonesian

homo

seseorang yang melakukan homoseksualitas; memiliki ketertarikan seksual terhadap orang yang berjenis kelamin sama

🇵🇭Filipino

bakla

isang taong nagsasagawa ng homoseksuwalidad; pagkakaroon ng sekswal na atraksyon sa mga taong kapareho ng kasarian

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

مثلي الجنس

شخص يمارس الشذوذ الجنسي؛ وجود انجذاب جنسي للأشخاص من نفس الجنس

🇮🇷Persian

همجنس گرا

کسی که همجنس گرایی را انجام می دهد. داشتن کشش جنسی برای افراد همجنس

🇹🇷Turkish

eşcinsel

eşcinsellik uygulayan biri; aynı cinsiyetten kişilere karşı cinsel çekim duymak

🇮🇱Hebrew

הומו

מישהו שנוהג בהומוסקסואליות; בעלי משיכה מינית לאנשים מאותו המין

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'gay'?

The primary meaning of 'gay' is 'someone who practices homosexuality; having a sexual attraction to persons of the same sex'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'gay' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'gay' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'gay' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'gay' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'gay' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'gay' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'gay' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'gay' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'gay' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'gay' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted