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.

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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

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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

The band planned a New York City debut that went off cleanly at the abandoned band shell where the hip-hop classic “Wild Style” was filmed.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

For now, ”risk appetites are leaning cleanly into a de-escalation narrative.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

Index funds should enable investors to capture that return cleanly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

The England wing took the first cleanly and tapped the second back to Joe Heyes.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

He tries to peel the image from the sticky yellow backing, to show her the next time he sees her, but it clings stubbornly, refusing to detach cleanly from the past.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri