kindly
Americanadjective
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having, showing, or proceeding from a benevolent disposition or spirit; kindhearted.
kindly people.
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gentle or mild, as rule or laws.
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pleasant, agreeable, or benign.
kindly climate.
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favorable, as soil for crops.
adjective
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having a sympathetic or warm-hearted nature
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motivated by warm and sympathetic feelings
a kindly act
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pleasant, mild, or agreeable
a kindly climate
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archaic natural; normal
adverb
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in a considerate or humane way
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with tolerance or forbearance
he kindly forgave my rudeness
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cordially; pleasantly
he greeted us kindly
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please (often used to express impatience or formality)
will you kindly behave yourself!
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archaic in accordance with nature; appropriately
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to react unfavourably towards
Related Words
See kind 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of kindly
First recorded before 900; Middle English kyndly (adjective and adverb), Old English gecyndelīc “natural,” gecyndelīce “naturally”; see kind 1, -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.
The author rehabilitates the Greek Arachne—unfairly condemned to be a spider because of her creative ability—then returns us to Spider Woman and Spider Grandmother, the kindly, creative beings who bring life and wisdom to humankind.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
But Dahl doesn’t take kindly to being managed.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
"That can also create conflict and arguments in the home as well, as they don't always take too kindly to being told that screen time is over," she says.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
Sheila Hutchings, a Democrat, voted for Harris because she wanted "a more positive" personality who would "speak kindly" to all constituents regardless of party.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
My fingers had fastened on her hand which lay outside the sheet: had she pressed mine kindly, I should at that moment have experienced true pleasure.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
