perfectly
Americanadverb
-
in a perfect manner or to a perfect degree.
to sing an aria perfectly.
- Synonyms:
- ideally, superbly, flawlessly
-
completely; fully; adequately.
This will suit my purpose perfectly.
He’s perfectly happy to help out.
She’s perfectly capable of making her own decision.
adverb
-
completely, utterly, or absolutely
-
in a perfect way; extremely well
Etymology
Origin of perfectly
First recorded in 1275–1325; perfect + -ly; replacing Middle English parfitly, derivative of parfit ( perfect )
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 its many guises, idolatry has survived, despite regular and often cataclysmic proof of its dangers, for centuries and many people will consider a much-larger-than-life golden statue of a president to be perfectly splendid.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
“It’s perfectly suited to have an agentic AI experience.”
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
For the past two years, my boyfriend and I had a financial system that worked perfectly for us.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
She described how a child could go from "being perfectly healthy, happy, running around, to facing a critical situation within a matter of hours".
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
“Oh, I’m perfectly decent, Mrs. Tilbury, but Marion and I are working on something quite secret and important.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
