take kindly to

idiomatic phrase

: to feel or show an inclination or willingness to accept or approve of (something or someone)
She congratulated herself still more on observing in the course of days that Mr Verloc seemed to be taking kindly to Stevie's companionship.Joseph Conrad
usually used in negative constructions
He doesn't take kindly to criticism. [=he doesn't like to be criticized]
But Terry Gilliam has never been a company man. … He has never taken kindly to the controls of studio heads and accountants …Kathi Maio
… Grandfather was a strict Loyalist. He would not take kindly to anyone who criticized the king!Valerie Trip

Examples of take kindly to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Sofia doesn’t take kindly to this revelation, exhibiting the short fuse that lights up real quick whenever a cornered man is trying to feed her a story to save his own ass. Andy Andersen, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2024 Usually when that happens, an umpire won’t take kindly to that. Andrew Baggarly, The Athletic, 7 Aug. 2024 Wojcicki sees herself as a leader who enjoys debate, and loves to push her people to think big, but says that not all of her team leaders took kindly to being challenged. Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2024 Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong loses it as bandmates surprise him on stage dressed as Deadpool and Wolverine But the residents and radio stations of Vegas didn't take kindly to Armstrong's disparaging remarks about their city. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for take kindly to 

Word History

First Known Use

1733, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of take kindly to was in 1733

Dictionary Entries Near take kindly to

Cite this Entry

“Take kindly to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20kindly%20to. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on take kindly to

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!