Gay
5 synonyms and 0 antonyms for Gay, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Homosexual; romantically or sexually attracted to people of the same sex.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use Gay
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Used as slang for "lame" or "stupid" ("that's so gay") is widely considered offensive and best avoided.
Etymology
From Old French gai ("joyful, lively"). The modern sense meaning "homosexual" developed in the 20th century from earlier slang use, becoming the dominant meaning of the word by the later 1900s.
Full origin of Gay →Frequently asked questions
What did the word 'gay' originally mean?
For centuries 'gay' meant carefree, bright, or happy, and you can still find that sense in older books and songs. Through the twentieth century it gradually came to mean homosexual, which is now its primary meaning in everyday English. The cheerful sense survives mostly in historical or literary contexts.