Synonyms

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

quasi-dutifully adverb
undutifully adverb

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.

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Determined to give her niece a stable upbringing, Aunt Irene unhappily but dutifully left a comfortable life in Ohio to return to her small-minded hometown in the Deep South.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

I asked, suddenly confronted with a wall of nine lasagnas, each dutifully dropped off by a loving member of her orbit.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2026

We bought into that idea and dutifully paid mortgages on numerous houses over the course of our marriage.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 2, 2026

Ridge dutifully pushed each one on the keypad and listened intently as Mr. Mosley’s phone rang.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

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