Skip to main content
gaydar

gaydar

6 9.5
A quick feeling about whether someone is gay or a place is friendly to gay people
  • noun
  • /ˈɡeɪˌdɑr/
  • Slang
: gaydar
  • Her gaydar was so accurate that she could tell which clubs were welcoming to gay people.

I think this could be a case of, you know, how people have gaydar.

Autoplay Next

Examples

How Accurate

direct evidence
  • Specialized
20 3.2
sign
  • Specialized
83 3.7
gaydar
  • Slang
6 9.5
hunch
142 4.7
guess
601 1.0

Surface Forms

gaydar singular
gaydars plural

Morphology

gaydar = gay + radar (semi-transparent) = gay + dar

Formed as a blend of 'gay' and a clipped form of 'radar'; the metaphorical 'ability to detect' is clear but colloquial and playful rather than a standard derivation.

Etymology

The word gaydar is a playful blend of gay and radar, where radar is a device that 'detects' things you cannot see. So gaydar is like a made-up 'radar' people jokingly say they use to tell if someone is gay or if a place will be welcoming.