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kindly

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kindly¹

  • /ˈkaɪn(d)li/ US, UK

Rhymes with -aɪndli

Where it comes from

From Middle English kyndely, kyndeliche, from Old English cyndelīċ (“natural, kindly”); equivalent to kind + -ly.

adjective kindlier · kindliest

  1. Having a kind personality; kind, warm-hearted, sympathetic. A kindly old man sits on the park bench every afternoon feeding pigeons.

    Similar: openhearted

  2. dated Favourable, gentle, pleasant, tidy, auspicious, beneficent. Ye Heav'ns! from high the devvy nectar pour, / And in ſoft ſilence ſhed the kindly ſhovv'r!
  3. archaic Lawful.
  4. obsolete Natural; inherent to the kind or race. the kindly fruits of the earth

Similar: compassionate, benignant, good-hearted, kind, kindhearted, humane, softhearted, sympathetic, tender, tenderhearted, warmhearted, attentive, considerate, thoughtful, affable, benign, cordial, dear, friendly, gentle, good, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, mild, nice, pleasant, clement, forbearing, forgiving · Opposite: mean, stern, hateful, malevolent, malicious, spiteful, virulent, barbarous, bestial, brutal, brutish, cold-blooded, cruel, hardhearted, inhuman, inhumane, insensate, savage, thick-skinned

kindly²

  • /ˈkaɪn(d)li/ US, UK

Rhymes with -aɪndli

Where it comes from

From Middle English kyndely, kyndly, kyndeliche, from Old English ġecyndelīċe, equivalent to kind + -ly.

adverb kindlier · more kindly · kindliest · most kindly

  1. In a kind manner, out of kindness. He kindly offered to take us to the station in his car.

    Similar: thoughtfully

  2. In a favourable way. Aguero was quick to block Hennessey's attempted clearance and the ball bounced kindly to Dzeko, who had the simplest of tasks to put City ahead.
  3. Used to make a polite request: please. Kindly refrain from walking on the grass.

    Similar: be so kind as to, please

  4. US With kind acceptance; used with take. I don't take kindly to threats.
  5. dialectal Kind of, somewhat.
  6. archaic Readily.
  7. obsolete Naturally.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: good-hearted, benignant, benevolent, benign, sympathetic, openhearted, good, charitable, kind, kindness, gentle, warmly, graciously, cordially, amicably, politely

adjective

Similar: compassionate, benignant, good-hearted, kind, kindhearted, humane, softhearted, sympathetic, tender, tenderhearted, warmhearted, attentive, considerate, thoughtful, affable, benign, cordial, dear, friendly, gentle, good, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, mild, nice, pleasant, clement, forbearing, forgiving · Opposite: mean, stern, hateful, malevolent, malicious, spiteful, virulent, barbarous, bestial, brutal, brutish, cold-blooded, cruel, hardhearted, inhuman, inhumane, insensate, savage, thick-skinned

Translations

Every language

adj having a kind personality

Españolagradable, bondadoso
Portuguêsbondoso, gentil, amável
Русскийдо́брый dóbryj

adv in a kind manner

Españolbondadosamente
Portuguêsgentilmente
Françaisgentillement, aimablement, gentiment
Deutschfreundlicherweise, liebenswürdig
Italianogentilmente
Русскийблагожелательно blagoželatelʹno, добродушно dobrodušno

adv used to make polite requests

Españolfavor de
Françaisveuillez
Deutschbitte, gefälligst
Italianoper piacere, volete
Русскийбудьте любезны bud'te lyubezny, извольте izvol'te, будьте добры bud'te dobry

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MLA

"kindly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/kindly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

kindly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/kindly

Chicago

"kindly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/kindly.

BibTeX
@misc{kindly_2026,
  title = {kindly},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/kindly},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}