dutifully

American  

[doo-tuh-flee, dyoo-] / ˈdu tə fli, ˈdju- /

adverb

1. in a way that is required by moral or legal obligation, societal or cultural expectations, or a person’s position or occupation.

   She dutifully registered to vote and received her ballot.

   The player was stunned by the trade, but he dutifully reported to Cleveland after a decade in the Manhattan limelight.

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Other Word Forms

• quasi-dutifully
  adverb
• undutifully
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of dutifully

dutiful ( def. ) + -ly

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dutifully

But he didn’t burn the tapes, and he dutifully turned them over when the Supreme Court ordered him to do so.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

That musical’s writer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, penned the songs for the 2016 film alongside Opetaia Foaʻi and Mark Mancina; dutifully reprised here, they remain basically persuasive works of Disney pop.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Maro Itoje, Jamie George, Owen Farrell, Elliot Daly, and Mako and Billy Vunipola dutifully served out a single-season spell in the second tier.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

He was declared a “Patron Saint of Quarantine,” courtesy of a viral negroni he dutifully made for his wife.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026

He opens his notebook, dutifully copies down the assignment as anger swells inside him.

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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Related Words

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• impartially
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• legally
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