kindly

1 of 2

adjective

kind·ly ˈkīn(d)-lē

kindlier; kindliest

Synonyms of kindly next

: of a sympathetic or generous nature

: of an agreeable or beneficial nature : pleasant

a kindly climate

obsolete : natural

archaic : lawful

kindly

2 of 2

adverb

: in a kind manner : sympathetically

: as a gesture of goodwill

would take it kindly if you would put in a good word

: in an appreciative manner

She didn't respond kindly to the suggestion.

: in a gracious manner : courteously

they kindly invited us along

: as a matter of courtesy : please

would you kindly order me a cab

dated : readily

But he had his gravelled walks, his poets' avenue of yews, that grew kindly, his sundials with their graceful and melancholy admonitions, …—

Francis Brett Young

At Pisa he saw something both of Trelawny and of Byron, who took to him kindly …—

Sidney Colvin

: in the normal way : naturally

old wounds which had healed kindly—

Amer. Mercury

chiefly Southern US : somewhat, kind of

it's kindly embarrassing—

Walter Davis

Example Sentences

Adjective A kindly woman helped him find his way home. brought homemade chicken soup out of kindly concern for my health Adverb She always treats animals kindly. They kindly offered to help us.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

His actors adopt indecipherable accents and speech patterns that convey the kindly mission of this determined if clumsy ragtag patrol. —

Charles Mcnultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2023 The character is an amalgamation of several people Sudeikis has met, including a kindly basketball coach in high school and the revered basketball coach John Wooden. —

Mark Kennedy, chicagotribune.com, 12 Aug. 2020 The character is an amalgamation of several people Sudeikis has met, including a kindly basketball coach in high school and the revered basketball coach John Wooden. —

Mark Kennedy, Star Tribune, 12 Aug. 2020 Finally, a kindly motel manager named Sweeney (Maron) gives her a job and a room, leading to an ending of swaddling, cadging, shameless warmth. —

Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2 Feb. 2023 Laugh at the boy, as the teens do, or melt with the kindly woman. —

Walker Mimms, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2023 Fortunately, he’s found by a kindly neighbor, Annie, lying under an aspen tree in his garden, taken to the hospital, and from there to rehab. —

James Walton, The New York Review of Books, 21 Sep. 2022 His kindly mother Doris (a fine Jayne Atkinson), on the other hand, tries to appease her daughter-in-law with confessions of her own postpartum lows, and only exacerbate Josephine’s spiraling fears in the process. —

Guy Lodge, Variety, 2 Feb. 2023 Devotion deprives Brown of the intellectual and patriotic pride that motivates military professionals (alluded to briefly in flashbacks of Brown with his kindly, long-suffering wife). —

Armond White, National Review, 14 Dec. 2022

Adverb

Penny’s ally in this difficult situation is her grandmother’s kindly accountant, Burt. —

Ron Charles, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2023 Starring Matt Damon as the determined pilot of a private plane and Ben Affleck as a craggy yet kindly air-traffic controller. —

Jay Martel, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2023 No matter how kindly and compassionately the company handles layoffs, people will still be upset about losing their jobs. —

Expert Panel®, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023 While some items don't enjoy the process—say, salad greens and delicate sauces—most foods take pretty kindly to life at zero degrees. —

Melissa Breyer, Treehugger, 1 Mar. 2023 Already, people aren’t taking too kindly to the policy. —

Bydavid Meyer, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2023 Astros' fans didn't take too kindly to Valdez's omission, taking to Twitter to vent their frustration. —

Michael Shapiro, Chron, 3 Feb. 2023 And the fadeout is where the girl recognizes the tramp as her benefactor and takes it kindly. —

Thr Staff, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2023 Social media didn’t take too kindly to a new 8-foot statue outside a New York City courthouse. —

Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 26 Jan. 2023 See More

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