kindly

A2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈkaɪndli/ UK /ˈkaɪn(d)li/ See IPA manual

Freq #4886

Meanings

1

adv
In a kind and caring way.

He kindly offered to take us to the station in his car.
2

adv
Used to make a polite request, meaning "please."

Kindly refrain from walking on the grass.
3

adj
Having a warm, gentle, and caring nature.

A kindly old man sits on the park bench every afternoon feeding pigeons.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · in a kind and caring way. thoughtfully

2 adv · used to make a polite... please

More affable altruistic attentive benign benignant brotherly charitable clement compassionate considerate cordial forbearing

Opposites

barbarous bestial brutal brutish cold-blooded cruelhardheartedhateful inhuman inhumane insensate malevolent

Word family

Forms kindlierkindliestkindliness

Derived forms kindlilykindlinessoverkindlysea-kindlyseakindlyunkindly

Etymology

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

kyndely Middle English cyndelīċ Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# kindly

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adv, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈkaɪndli/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkaɪn(d)li/
**Frequency rank:** 4886

## Meanings
1. In a kind and caring way.
2. Used to make a polite request, meaning "please."
3. Having a warm, gentle, and caring nature.

## Examples
- He kindly offered to take us to the station in his car.
- Kindly refrain from walking on the grass.
- A kindly old man sits on the park bench every afternoon feeding pigeons.

## Synonyms
- affable
- altruistic
- attentive
- benign
- benignant
- brotherly
- charitable
- clement
- compassionate
- considerate
- cordial
- forbearing

## Antonyms
- barbarous
- bestial
- brutal
- brutish
- cold-blooded
- cruel
- hardhearted
- hateful
- inhuman
- inhumane
- insensate
- malevolent

## Derived Forms
- kindlily
- kindliness
- overkindly
- sea-kindly
- seakindly
- unkindly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: kyndely
- Root: cyndelīċ

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

## AI Etymology
Kindly comes from Middle English kyndely, kyndeliche, from Old English cyndelīċ (“natural, kindly”); equivalent to kind + -ly. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adverbial form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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