cleanly

[adjective klen-lee; adverb kleen-lee]

See more synonyms for cleanly on Thesaurus.com

adjective, clean·li·er, clean·li·est.

personally neat; careful to keep or make clean: The cat is by nature a cleanly animal.
habitually kept clean.
Obsolete. cleansing; making clean.

adverb

in a clean manner.

Origin of cleanly

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

Related formsclean·li·ness

[klen-lee-nis] /ˈklɛn li nɪs/, noun

Can be confusedcleanliness cleanness

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for cleanliness

freshness, purity, sanitation, neatness, tidiness, sterility, asepsis, disinfection

Examples from the Web for cleanliness

Contemporary Examples of cleanliness

As long as you exercise basic sanitation and cleanliness sort of protocols … I think the risk is relatively low.
U.S. Soldiers Get Just Four Hours of Ebola Training
Tim Mak
October 17, 2014
Here, he seasons salmon like a pro and dishes out lessons about the importance of cleanliness and seasoning.
2 Chainz, Snoop Lion, and More Rappers in the Kitchen
Filipa Ioannou
August 12, 2013
If you want to suss out the cleanliness and hygiene level of any hotel, take a quick look behind furniture and drapes.
Gordon Ramsay: 7 Hotel Horrors!
Gordon Ramsay
August 9, 2012
If a guard dog licks one of your dinner plates, for example, serious scrubbing is involved to restore its cleanliness.
The Lighter Side of Islam
Neil MacFarquhar
May 6, 2009

Historical Examples of cleanliness

Rags and tidiness, filth and cleanliness, lay almost touching.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Stables and neat-houses were the perfection of cleanliness and airiness.
In the Heart of Vosges
Matilda Betham-Edwards
They felt that they were bound to have rest and cleanliness.
The Rock of Chickamauga
Joseph A. Altsheler
So nourishment, cleanliness, and ventilation are the main remedies.
The Uncommercial Traveller
Charles Dickens
There was no luxury, no artistic feature, no cleanliness even.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for cleanliness

cleanly

adverb (ˈkliːnlɪ)

in a fair manner
easily or smoothlythe screw went into the wood cleanly

adjective (ˈklɛnlɪ) -lier or -liest

habitually clean or neat

Derived Formscleanlily (ˈklɛnlɪlɪ), adverbcleanliness (ˈklɛnlɪnɪs), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cleanliness

early 15c., from cleanly + -ness.

Cleanliness is indeed next to godliness. [John Wesley, Sermon "On Dress," c.1791]

cleanly

adj.

Old English clænlic "morally pure, innocent," from clæne (see clean (adj.)). Of persons, "habitually clean," from c.1500.

cleanly

adv.

Old English clænlice; see clean (adj.) + -ly (2).