Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb In a clean manner.
  • adjective Habitually and carefully neat and clean.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Free from dirt or any foul matter; personally neat; careful to keep or make clean.
  • Free from injurious or polluting influence; pure; innocent: as, “cleanly joys,”
  • 3. Cleansing; making clean.
  • . Dexterous; adroit; clever; artful.
  • Neat; trim; well-shaped. Compare clean, a., 9.
  • Entirely; wholly; completely.
  • In a clean manner; neatly; without soil or uncleanness.
  • Decently; morally; with freedom from vice or impurity.
  • Cleverly; adroitly; dexterously.
  • Clearly; unmistakably.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb In a clean manner; neatly.
  • adverb Innocently; without stain.
  • adverb Adroitly; dexterously.
  • adjective Habitually clean; pure; innocent.
  • adjective obsolete Cleansing; fitted to remove moisture; dirt, etc.
  • adjective obsolete Adroit; skillful; dexterous; artful.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective being habitually clean, practising good hygiene
  • adverb in a clean way
  • adverb neatly
  • adverb not causing a mess or unnecessary damage
  • adverb innocently; without stain
  • adverb adroitly; dexterously

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective habitually clean
  • adverb in a manner that minimizes dirt and pollution
  • adverb without difficulty or distortion
  • adverb in an adroit manner

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English clenly, clenliche, clanly, from Old English clǣnlīc ("cleanly, pure, excellent"), equivalent to clean +‎ -ly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English clenly, clenli, clenliche, from Old English clǣnlīċe ("cleanly"), equivalent to clean +‎ -ly.

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Examples

  • Borel emphasizes the importance of having his mount break cleanly from the starting gate — along with 19 other horses — then avoiding the bumping and jostling for position that regularly occurs into the first turn.

    Kentucky Derby represents a 'humbling, challenging race' 2010

  • But Lynas does not see it that way: the real-world result of defeating the wind farm is that the electricity that would have been generated cleanly from the wind will now be generated using conventional means - a mixture of coal and gas.

    Archive 2008-04-01 2008

  • But Zheng, hitting cleanly from the baseline and winning most of the long rallies, hung in and went up a break at 4-2 in the second set.

    Serena and Venus earn berths in Wimbledon final 2008

  • This was hailed as a grand opportunity to reshape the legal framework in a consensual manner and to break cleanly from the past, but the governing conservative party passed the constitution through Parliament without the consent of any of the opposition parties (including the Centre Union, the Socialist, or Communist Party). back

    Arms and the Woman: Just Warriors and Greek Feminist Identity 2008

  • He made his biggest save while flat on his back with about 8 minutes left, somehow looking up quickly enough to glove Boyle's shot cleanly from a prone position.

    USATODAY.com 2008

  • Elias beat goalie Dany Sabourin cleanly off Brian Gionta's cross-ice pass as Sergei Brylin cut down the middle, forcing Sabourin to defend against two potential shooters.

    USATODAY.com - Hockey - New Jersey vs. Pittsburgh 2006

  • With a faceoff to the right of Miller, Sundin cleanly beat Buffalo's Clarke MacArthur, drawing the puck back to McCabe 10 feet inside the blueline in the middle of the ice.

    USATODAY.com - Hockey - Toronto vs. Buffalo 2006

  • The Selbie doesn't always strike in cleanly but it's got a much more robust sound than my mach I Henderson. posted by John at 5: 31 PM

    10/01/2002 - 11/01/2002 John 2002

  • Logan made a 19-foot jumper and a 3-pointer both shots went in cleanly as Cincinnati opened a 41-27 lead.

    USATODAY.com - Bearcats zone in on league title 2002

  • When he's on the net, he can beat goalies cleanly from the blue line.

    New group is ready to take hardest shots 2000

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