Synonyms of kindly

kindly 1 of 2

adjective

ˈkīn(d)-lē 

1

as in kind

having or marked by sympathy and consideration for others

brought homemade chicken soup out of kindly concern for my health

Synonyms & Similar Words

• kind
• compassionate
• benevolent
• sympathetic
• thoughtful
• gracious
• gentle
• nice
• humane
• friendly
• generous
• kindhearted
• warmhearted
• merciful
• benignant
• sweet
• beneficent
• good
• pleasant
• tender
• attentive
• good-hearted
• considerate
• patient
• softhearted
• solicitous
• tenderhearted
• warm
• humanitarian
• cordial
• good-natured
• benign
• mild
• pitying
• affable
• genial
• soft
• forbearing
• lenient
• neighborly
• charitable
• magnanimous
• companionable
• amicable
• noble
• forgiving
• comradely
• tolerant
• good-tempered
• munificent
• liberal
• understanding
• unselfish
• altruistic
• selfless
• philanthropic
• brotherly
• unsparing
• clement
• philanthropical
• openhearted
• greathearted
• freehanded
• anticruelty
• cruelty-free

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cruel
• unkind
• callous
• savage
• brutal
• vicious
• unsympathetic
• brute
• heartless
• inhuman
• sadistic
• barbarous
• atrocious
• truculent
• unfeeling
• barbaric
• ruthless
• brutish
• inhumane
• bestial
• unkindly
• fiendish
• merciless
• pitiless
• insensate
• insensitive
• thoughtless
• severe
• stern
• inconsiderate
• harsh
• tough
• uncaring
• unthinking
• hard-hearted
• wanton
• grim
• uncompassionate
• cold-blooded
• mean
• malignant
• malicious
• unsentimental
• hateful
• malevolent
• spiteful
• ironhearted
• virulent
• malign
• nasty
• stonyhearted
• uncharitable
• heavy-handed
• hard-boiled
• antihumanitarian

2

as in helpful

promoting or contributing to personal or social well-being

a vegetarian diet can be very kindly to a person hoping to lose a few pounds

Synonyms & Similar Words

• helpful
• beneficial
• favorable
• good
• friendly
• satisfying
• profitable
• advantageous
• beneficent
• salutary
• benignant
• desirable
• promising
• gratifying
• benefic
• rewarding
• lucrative
• advisable
• supportive
• propitious
• healthy
• auspicious
• wholesome
• constructive
• healthful
• gainful
• salubrious
• remunerative
• salutiferous
• ameliorative
• amelioratory
• bettering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bad
• unfriendly
• unfavorable
• unhelpful
• disadvantageous
• unprofitable
• harmful
• injurious
• damaging
• deleterious
• insalubrious

kindly

2 of 2

adverb

1

as in nicely

with good reason or courtesy

would you kindly hand me the scissors?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nicely
• thoughtfully
• reasonably
• graciously
• politely
• courteously
• considerately
• well
• fairly
• pleasantly
• respectfully
• justifiably
• wisely
• sensibly
• discreetly
• validly
• prudently
• solicitously
• deferentially
• sweetly
• judiciously
• chivalrously
• sympathetically
• gallantly
• compassionately
• excusably
• decorously
• humanely
• kindheartedly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rudely
• thoughtlessly
• contemptuously
• scornfully
• disdainfully
• cruelly
• inconsiderately
• disrespectfully
• viciously
• discourteously
• unfairly
• heartlessly
• nastily
• impolitely
• snootily
• shabbily

2

as in pretty

chiefly Southern to some degree or extent

their visit was kindly a surprise

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pretty
• quite
• rather
• enough
• relatively
• fairly
• something
• somewhat
• moderately
• a little
• a mite
• to a degree
• a bit
• a tad
• sort of
• kind of
• of sorts
• like
• slightly
• after a sort
• a touch
• more or less
• decently
• of a sort
• vaguely
• acceptably
• tolerably
• partially
• passably
• partly
• nominally
• little
• negligibly
• incompletely
• halfway
• part
• partway
• half

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• very
• highly
• extremely
• greatly
• heavily
• particularly
• especially
• exceedingly
• exceptionally
• terribly
• awfully
• exceeding
• deadly
• significantly
• substantially
• considerably
• frightfully
• hugely
• extensively
• mortally
• mightily
• surpassingly
• beastly

Examples of kindly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

While Cottin, largely unknown to American audiences, is inscrutable in the best way, her stern exterior belying her kindly heart. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 Sep. 2023

The kindly doctor suggested three medicines: a dietary supplement, a new birth control containing drospirenone, and a pill called spironolactone. —S. C. Cornell, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2023

Adverb

Ketty Lester was kindly Hester-Sue Terhune, who worked with Mary and Adam at the blind school and at the restaurant run by Mrs. Oleson and Nellie. —Marc Berman, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

Jay Electronica hasn’t taken too kindly to the criticism that’s been aimed at JAY-Z amid the announcement of Kendrick Lamar‘s performance during the Super Bowl LIX halftime show. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 11 Sep. 2024

Phrases Containing kindly

• take kindly to