cleanlier; cleanliest
1
: careful to keep clean : fastidious
2
: habitually kept clean
Synonyms
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
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
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
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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.
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Cite this Entry
“Cleanly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleanly. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.
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