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
Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
And if overnight masks aren’t your thing, the thick (but easy-to-spread) formula peels away cleanly in as little as 20 minutes.
—Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 26 Mar. 2026
Thomas Drance, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Whoever wins cleanly leaves with both the championship belts.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleanly
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Adverb
The trip feels oddly smooth, as the robotaxi cleanly shifts lanes and slows down to avoid hitting other vehicles and bicycles on the road.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
And if overnight masks aren’t your thing, the thick (but easy-to-spread) formula peels away cleanly in as little as 20 minutes.
—Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
In other words, historical comparables suggest that Sherwood’s trade value probably isn’t cleanly at the level of him returning a first-round pick to Vancouver if he’s ultimately traded between now and March 6.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Whoever wins cleanly leaves with both the championship belts.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleanly
Cite this Entry
“Cleanly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleanly. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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