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.

---

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

---

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

Mince the hard-boiled eggs cleanly — decisive cuts, not frantic mashing.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

That proved costly less than a minute later when Markanich, racing up the center, got behind Galaxy defender Mauricio Cuevas to corral a long ball from Joaquín Pereyra, then beat keeper JT Marcinkowski cleanly.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

Index funds should enable investors to capture that return cleanly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

As he came to the opening he brought her downwind a bit, let the sails out a hair, and the Frog slipped cleanly beyond the harbor and into the open sea.

From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen