cleanly

1 of 2

adverb

clean·​ly ˈklēn-lē 

: in a clean manner

cleanly

2 of 2

adjective

clean·​ly ˈklen-lē 

cleanlier; cleanliest

1

: careful to keep clean : fastidious

2

: habitually kept clean

Synonyms of cleanly

Adverb

• legally

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

Others secured the football, either cleanly or after a brief bobble. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

The share of 2025 domestic ticket sales puts the post-merger distribution market’s Herfindahl-Hirschman Index—the measure of market concentration—near 1,960, cleanly above the 1,800 threshold the DOJ’s merger guidelines deem highly concentrated. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 3 Aug. 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

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cleanly

• greenly
• keenly
• meanly
• queenly
• routinely

Kids Definition

cleanly

1 of 2 adverb

clean·​ly ˈklēn-lē 

: in a clean manner

cleanly

2 of 2 adjective

clean·​ly ˈklen-lē 

cleanlier; cleanliest

1

: careful to keep clean

a cleanly animal

2

: being kept clean by habit

cleanly surroundings

cleanliness noun