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.
Perfectly understandably, only those inside Anfield will feel and know its full impact.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
"You can see how many fallen leaves there are... Perfectly healthy leaves that could have kept feeding the plant and functioning for months are falling down," he said.
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026
Perfectly medium-rare chargrilled steak arrived tableside with fanfare, finished with the now-famous sprinkle of salt.
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025
Perfectly able to pick out screen stars in the crowd if someone onstage mentioned them, they seemed oblivious of other important artists who got shout-outs.
From New York Times • Jun. 17, 2024
"Look," he said, "I'm starving. Perfectly famished. I don't know if you—if stars—eat, or what they eat. But I won't have you starving yourself."
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
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.
