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.

At this, America’s hockey dudes laughed dutifully and dude-ily, unaware of how disgusting people would find this tidbit of locker room talk.

From Salon

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

Still, dutifully, she walked over to the 2B waiting area and pulled open the door to the hallway that led down to the plane.

From Literature

He just told his dumb jokes and dutifully showed him how to do pre-algebra.

From Literature

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