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# gay

adjective (gay, gayer, gayest); noun (a gay person – usually «gay people»)

«gay» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Describing a person, especially a man, who is romantically attracted to people of the same sex; women may also call themselves gay or lesbian. This is the usual meaning today and a respectful word. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gay/#m1)
2. (old-fashioned) Happy, merry and full of fun: «a gay laugh». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gay/#m2)
3. (old-fashioned) Bright and colourful: «gay flags». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gay/#m3)
4. (rude, offensive) Used by some as an insult meaning «bad» or «stupid» – this is hurtful and wrong. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gay/#m4)

### In the lessons

In old books like The Wind in the Willows and Alice, «gay» means merry and bright: Toad sings gay songs, and the river is gay with flowers; this is not about love. Today in everyday life the first meaning is the usual one: some families have two dads or two mums; gay people should be treated with respect. Saying «that's so gay» to mean «rubbish» is bullying language and schools stop it.

### Examples

- My uncle is gay and lives with his husband. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gay/#x1)
- Some of my friends have two mums. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gay/#x2)
- In the old song, the girls were «gay and bright». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gay/#x3)
- The town was gay with flags for the festival. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gay/#x4)
- Toad sang a gay little song as he drove along. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gay/#x5)
- Using «gay» as an insult is unkind and not allowed in our school. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gay/#x6)
- Never has there been a gayer Court. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gay/#x7)

### Note

In books written before about 1960, «gay» usually means «merry» or «bright». Today it nearly always means sense 1. Never use it as an insult. Related word: LGBT.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «gay» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gay/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«gay» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/gay.html) on Mova free.