as in legally
according to the rules or the law
it was a cleanly fought match, so you have no grounds for complaint
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sanitary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cleanly
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Mar. 2025
The coin toss ceremony is a brief yet ceremonial affair: captains often shake hands or hug before the referee explains the game's rules and ensures the game is played cleanly, free from foul language or unnecessary hits.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 8 Feb. 2025
Javier Cabral, Bon Appétit, 21 July 2023
De La Hoya rematch, advancing them with rich archival footage presented in cleanly chronological fashion.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 20 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for cleanly
Adverb
To help your plants heal faster, make your pruning cuts or breaks as cleanly as possible and never remove more than 1/3 of your plant’s stems in one go.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Mar. 2025
The coin toss ceremony is a brief yet ceremonial affair: captains often shake hands or hug before the referee explains the game's rules and ensures the game is played cleanly, free from foul language or unnecessary hits.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Other options like the fall apart-tender pork belly taco, topped with sour-sweet tamarind salsa, cleanly acidic gooseberry salsa, and bright serranos round out the thoughtful menu at Guerilla Tacos.
—Javier Cabral, Bon Appétit, 21 July 2023
De La Hoya rematch, advancing them with rich archival footage presented in cleanly chronological fashion.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 20 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for cleanly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleanly
Adverb
-
Garcia said his trip continues the groundwork that Van Hollen laid. Abrego Garcia, who is from El Salvador, lived legally in Maryland.—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Apr. 2025
-
The complaint argues the Trump administration terminated their statuses by removing the students from the Student and Exchange Visitor System, or SEVIS – an online database schools use to provide the government legally required information about international students.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Non-tariff barriers include import barriers driven by licensing restrictions, unnecessarily restrictive quality standards on goods or technical regulations, sanitary measures that restrict trade without furthering safety objectives, and several other categories of restrictions.—
Steve Banker,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Along with the streets, new storm and sanitary sewers are being installed, along with new sidewalks and a multi-use path.—
Mike Nolan,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Avoid sterile, clinical environments that can be intimidating.—
Ajay Prasad,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
-
The Pitt is set in Pittsburgh, not Chicago, and the season unfolds in real time, with overlapping crises ratcheting up tension as the cast careens around the sterile white set.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The researchers claim that introducing microbes from Earth could potentially reinforce the microbial community on the ISS without posing any hygienic risks to astronauts.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The texture is rich, so a little goes a long way; use a spatula to keep things hygienic and scoop out the necessary amount.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Booker seems like the top pure guard in this year's draft class, making his overall positional value lower.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Kiper calls him the best pure guard in the draft, a road-grader in the run game.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Some replacements were found in the everyday speech of rural Anatolian villagers or the Turkic peoples of Central Asia, both of which were assumed to have preserved an untainted original Turkish.—
Nick Danforth,
Foreign Affairs,
6 Jan. 2015
-
In the awards race, the question looms: Will any of the nominees make it to the ceremony untainted?—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Since the video went viral, Prins says it's been so wholesome to read through the comments and see how much the story has touched people.—
Jordan Greene,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
While the film fails to deliver wholesome entertainment package that Khan is known for, Sikandar does offer a cocktail of thrills, traditional family values, and Khan’s star persona.—
Sweta Kaushal,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
This is not just good for farmers, but for the 1.8 million people who rely on unpolluted water from our three county reservoirs.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Multigenerational trips where families rent houses are popular here, too, and the biggest nightlife activity is stargazing under the unpolluted sky and looking for fiddler crabs on the beach.—
Trudy Haywood Saunders,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Cleanly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleanly. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share