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 constructionsJoseph ConradHe 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
Kathi Maio… Grandfather was a strict Loyalist. He would not take kindly to anyone who criticized the king!—Valerie Trip
Valerie TripExamples of take kindly to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
One person who has not taken kindly to Altman’s bid to transition the corporate structure of the company behind ChatGPT is one of OpenAI’s original founders, Elon Musk.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2024
Vance didn’t take kindly to the fact-checking, which leads us to.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for take kindly to 
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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
One person who has not taken kindly to Altman’s bid to transition the corporate structure of the company behind ChatGPT is one of OpenAI’s original founders, Elon Musk.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2024
Vance didn’t take kindly to the fact-checking, which leads us to.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for take kindly to
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 Nov. 2024.
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