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.

The dead man’s son doesn’t take kindly to these events. —

David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 9 Dec. 2024 On Friday, Battle missed weight by an eye-popping four pounds, and Brown didn’t take kindly to his opponent’s lack of professionalism. —

Brian Mazique, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024 Lawmakers in both parties didn’t take kindly to the impromptu lobbying frenzy. —

Nicole Narea, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 Authoritarian governments are not known for taking kindly to criticism. —

Rania Khaled, New York Times, 24 Nov. 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

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Take kindly to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20kindly%20to. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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