dutifully

American

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

adverb

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.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of dutifully

dutiful ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the two weeks since the summit, news outlets have been dutifully publishing articles that draw on facts and medical expertise, explaining that Kennedy is wrong to compare people who use SSRIs to heroin addicts.

From Salon • May 18, 2026

Powlowski also defended the committee against accusations of bias, telling the Star that members have "dutifully listened to both sides".

From BBC • May 15, 2026

Investment strategists played armchair epidemiologist for weeks, dutifully updating case counts and laying out scenarios.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

The assignment is defense, a role Smart has dutifully filled for his whole career.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

I narrated my college life in exacting detail to both my parents like a homesteader dutifully providing dispatches from the frontier.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023