• Cleverly

    Pronunciation

    • UK IPA: /ˈklÉ›vÉ™li/
    Homophones: Cleverley

    Origin

    From clever + -ly.

    Full definition of cleverly

    Adverb

    cleverly

    1. Wittily; in a tricky manner.He joked cleverly with each guest.
    2. Intelligently directed to a purpose.Cleverly, he found ways of ingratiating himself with all the important guests.
    3. (now US dialect) Completely, fully.
      • 1891, Mary Noailles Murfree, In the "Stranger People's" Country, Nebraska 2005, p. 6:“I ain't a-goin' ter let leetle Mose be kep' up hyar till midnight a-waitin' for you-uns ter milk the cow. It's cleverly dark now.”
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