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
Adverb
These saws are specifically designed for trimming smaller branches cleanly and quickly, and with minimal effort on your part. Alex Rennie, Popular Mechanics, 6 Sep. 2023 Their collective start values were high enough that the United States could have finished in the top three if routines were done more cleanly. Will Graves, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2023 The current map cuts the city cleanly in half, and sees the four-county metro area split between Districts 7 and 2, between Sewell and Moore. Ramsey Archibald | Rarchibald@al.com, al, 14 Aug. 2023 The engine pulls cleanly right off idle, and a proper exhaust bark bellows right below your left ear. Larry Webster, Car and Driver, 23 Aug. 2023 Connor Curtis, the star pitcher in Smithfield’s opening round victory over Nevada, turned a double play to limit the damage, cleanly fielding a ground ball at first base and then firing a strike to his shortstop for a tagout at second base. BostonGlobe.com, 18 Aug. 2023 Moore hit a ball out to shallow left in the top of the seventh inning that hard-charging Royals left fielder MJ Melendez was unable to field cleanly. Jace Evans, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2023 Elkhorn North senior Drew Harper fielded the ball cleanly and fired a laser to catcher Maverick Christiansen, who applied the tag for the state-title-clinching out at the plate. USA TODAY, 31 July 2023 Then Smith hit a chopper to third that Matt Chapman couldn’t field cleanly, everyone reaching safely to load the bases with one out. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2023
Adjective
Ripa smiled at the camera with cleanly arched eyebrows, long eyelashes and long blonde locks that fell past her shoulders. Jill Lupupa, Peoplemag, 7 Aug. 2023 Other options like the fall apart-tender pork belly taco, topped with sour-sweet tamarind salsa, cleanly acidic gooseberry salsa, and bright serranos round out the thoughtful menu at Guerilla Tacos. Javier Cabral, Bon Appétit, 21 July 2023 De La Hoya rematch, advancing them with rich archival footage presented in cleanly chronological fashion. Tomris Laffly, Variety, 20 Jan. 2022 After inspections in January and February, inspectors noticed a more cleanly, efficient jail operation with better mental healthcare and better technology, specifically noting better surveillance cameras. Adam Ferrise, cleveland, 21 Oct. 2020 And, notoriously, college dorms are not the cleanliest places. Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 20 May 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cleanly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 21 Sep. 2023.

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

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