kindly meaning

UK /ˈkaɪndli/ US /ˈkaɪndli/ 2 syllables

kindly (adjective): showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity.

kindly has 3 meanings in this dictionary, as adjective and adverb.

kindly as an adjective

  1. showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
    • was charitable in his opinions of others
    • kindly criticism
    • a kindly act
    • sympathetic words
    • a large-hearted mentor

    Synonyms: charitable, benevolent, sympathetic, good-hearted, openhearted, large-hearted

    Similar: kind

    Related forms: kindliness

  2. pleasant and agreeable
    • a kindly climate
    • kindly breeze

    Similar: benign

kindly as an adverb

  1. in a kind manner or out of kindness
    • He spoke kindly to the boy
    • she kindly overlooked the mistake

    Opposite: unkindly

    Related forms: kind

How to pronounce kindly

kindly is pronounced /ˈkaɪndli/ in British English and /ˈkaɪndli/ in American English. It has 2 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.

Words that rhyme with kindly

Scrabble score: 14 (letter breakdown)

Word lists: words starting with KI · words ending in LY · 6-letter words

More about kindly on Wikipedia.