kindly — OET · Shobdo

kindly

adjective

the children were adopted by a kindly old lady |

he smiled in a kindly manner:

benevolent, kind, kind-hearted, warm-hearted, generous, good-natured, humane;

gentle, warm, mild, compassionate, caring, tender-hearted, soft-hearted, tender, loving, loving and giving, motherly, fatherly, benign, mellow, well meaning, genial;

indulgent, understanding, sympathetic, lenient, tolerant, charitable, magnanimous, easy-going, patient;

helpful, thoughtful, considerate, good, good-hearted, nice, friendly, neighbourly, pleasant, amiable, agreeable, affable, amicable;

British, informal decent;

rare benignant.

▷antonyms unkind, cruel.

adverb

1 ‘Welcome,’ she said kindly | someone kindly lent us a car:

benevolently, good-naturedly, warmly, affectionately, tenderly, lovingly, compassionately;

considerately, thoughtfully, helpfully, obligingly, generously, selflessly, unselfishly, graciously, indulgently, sympathetically, leniently, charitably.

▷antonyms unkindly, harshly.

2 kindly explain what you mean by that:

please, if you please, if you would be so good, if you wouldn't mind, have the goodness to, pray;

French s'il vous plaît;

archaic prithee.

□ not take kindly to

she does not take kindly to criticism:

resent, dislike, object to, take umbrage at, take exception to, be offended by, take offence at, be annoyed/irritated by, be displeased by, be affronted by, feel aggrieved about, take something amiss, be upset by, be put out by;

informal be miffed at.

kindly Oxford Dictionary of English