cleanly

1 of 2

adverb

clean·​ly ˈklēn-lē How to pronounce cleanly (audio)
: in a clean manner

cleanly

2 of 2

adjective

clean·​ly ˈklen-lē How to pronounce cleanly (audio)
cleanlier; cleanliest
1
: careful to keep clean : fastidious
2
: habitually kept clean

Examples of cleanly in a Sentence

Adverb A sharp knife will cut through the skin of a tomato cleanly. This fuel burns more cleanly than other fuels.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
Even if Rhodes did indicate in a recent promo that there would be a decisive winner in this dream match, this is one of those bouts where WWE having one of its biggest stars lose cleanly could do more harm than good. Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024 The error put two on with no outs for Will Smith, who chopped a grounder to the shortstop hole that Anthony Volpe fielded cleanly. Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
One major problem is that these delegations are seldom made cleanly. Francis Fukuyama, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2014 Among the 21 artists are Julia Chon and Dave Young Kim, who offer cleanly hard-edge paintings of, respectively, a woman in traditional garb and two storks below two strands of barbed wire. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023 See all Example Sentences for cleanly 

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cleanly was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near cleanly

Cite this Entry

“Cleanly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleanly. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cleanly

1 of 2 adverb
clean·​ly ˈklēn-lē How to pronounce cleanly (audio)
: in a clean manner

cleanly

2 of 2 adjective
clean·​ly ˈklen-lē How to pronounce cleanly (audio)
cleanlier; cleanliest
1
: careful to keep clean
a cleanly animal
2
: being kept clean by habit
cleanly surroundings
cleanliness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on cleanly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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