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
Jeffrey Prang, Daily News, 23 Jan. 2026
Williams sliced through Davis and Simmons before Byrd cleanly swatted his shot in the lane, and replays indicated incidental contact from any of them.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 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 Legislature had an opportunity to resolve this issue cleanly and uniformly through AB 1253.
—Jeffrey Prang, Daily News, 23 Jan. 2026
Williams sliced through Davis and Simmons before Byrd cleanly swatted his shot in the lane, and replays indicated incidental contact from any of them.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 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 28 Jan. 2026.
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