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
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 25 Nov. 2025
At Montali’s Del Cerro home, the fireplace cleanly burned Duraflame logs, the glass protective shield closed.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2025
Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
The folding handles close away neatly into side recesses to create flush sides that store cleanly side by side.
—New Atlas, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleanly
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
After Jokic and the starters returned, Denver didn’t execute the zone as cleanly, and Memphis shaved a 13-point deficit to eight by halftime.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 25 Nov. 2025
At Montali’s Del Cerro home, the fireplace cleanly burned Duraflame logs, the glass protective shield closed.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Whoever wins cleanly leaves with both the championship belts.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
The folding handles close away neatly into side recesses to create flush sides that store cleanly side by side.
—New Atlas, 4 June 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 2 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share