perfectly
Americanadverb
-
in a perfect manner or to a perfect degree.
to sing an aria perfectly.
- Synonyms:
- ideally, superbly, flawlessly
-
completely; fully; adequately.
This will suit my purpose perfectly.
He’s perfectly happy to help out.
She’s perfectly capable of making her own decision.
adverb
-
completely, utterly, or absolutely
-
in a perfect way; extremely well
Etymology
Origin of perfectly
First recorded in 1275–1325; perfect + -ly; replacing Middle English parfitly, derivative of parfit ( perfect )
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 cameras were attached to trip wires so that when the horse passed each one, it would take a perfectly timed photograph.
From Slate • May 25, 2026
After all, even regarding the dumbest birds in his database, he says, “all these species are still here, leading perfectly successful lives,” and have been for millions of years.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
It doesn’t have the same aspirational energy as a perfectly seared breast or a golden, crispy thigh.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
In 1935, while studying the behavior of particles in regions of extreme gravity, Einstein and Rosen introduced what they called a “bridge”: a mathematical link between two perfectly symmetrical copies of spacetime.
From Science Daily • May 22, 2026
“I don’t need to see a doctor. I’m perfectly healthy. Or at least I was,” I tell her on the way there.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
