cleanly

American  

[klen-lee, kleen-lee] / ˈklɛn li, ˈklin li /

adjective

cleanlier, cleanliest

1. personally neat; careful to keep or make clean.

   The cat is by nature a cleanly animal.

2. habitually kept clean.

3. Obsolete. cleansing; making clean.

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adverb

1. in a clean manner.

cleanly British  

/ ˈklɛnlɪnɪs, ˈklɛnlɪlɪ /

adverb

1. in a fair manner

2. easily or smoothly

   the screw went into the wood cleanly

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adjective

1. habitually clean or neat

Other Word Forms

• cleanlily adverb
• cleanliness noun

Etymology

Origin of cleanly

before 900; Middle English clenlich ( e ), Old English clǣnlīc, equivalent to clǣne clean + -līc -ly

Example Sentences

For now, ”risk appetites are leaning cleanly into a de-escalation narrative.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

Index funds should enable investors to capture that return cleanly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

The England wing took the first cleanly and tapped the second back to Joe Heyes.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

Each slice cuts cleanly, like something that has been thought through.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

The vibrasaw purred through heavy vines, parted tangled underbrush like a comb through wet hair, and sliced cleanly through metal when the odd misstroke brought the cutting edge down onto the track.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld