English Dictionary
Definition gay in British English
gay
adjective
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.
These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
adjective
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
Words that avoid giving offence: gay
Use gay to describe men who are sexually attracted to other men. Gay can also be used about women who are sexually attracted to other women, but the more usual word is lesbian. Some people feel gay can be offensive when it is used as a noun and prefer to say gay people, gay men or gay men and women, depending on the context.
the gay community
an offensive word used especially by young people to describe something that is boring and not at all fashionable or attractive
