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

Adverb

• clean
• fair
• fairly
• 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

The Flames added a big insurance goal early in the third after Gaudreau was beaten cleanly on a draw. —Michael Russo, The Athletic, 23 Nov. 2024

The challenge of aerodynamic darts which will separate cleanly tumbling at Mach 10, then spread out to evenly blanket an area below is not trivial. —David Hambling, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024

Adjective

One major problem is that these delegations are seldom made cleanly. —Francis Fukuyama, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2014

Among the 21 artists are Julia Chon and Dave Young Kim, who offer cleanly hard-edge paintings of, respectively, a woman in traditional garb and two storks below two strands of barbed wire. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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