de-gay

verb

To cause (an issue, especially AIDS) to no longer be associated with gay people.

First used popularized in the 1990s
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Meanings

verbde-gay (third-person singular simple present de-gays, present participle de-gaying, simple past and past participle de-gayed)

present singular third person de-gays · participle present de-gaying · participle past de-gayed · past de-gayed

  1. transitiveuncommonTo cause (an issue, especially AIDS) to no longer be associated with gay people.First known use popularized in the 1990s

Origin

From de- + gay.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

de-gay. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/de-gay

MLA

“de-gay.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/de-gay. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “de-gay,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/de-gay.

Source: de-gay on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.