Standard Lemma guide

dutifully

adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D UW1 T IY0 F AH0 L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

With a regard to duty; in a dutiful manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 22 March 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club Cabin Boyhttp://www.avclub.com/articles/cabin-boy,71269/ When news arrives that the school must graduate Nathanial to official “Fancy Lad” status early and put him on the Queen Catherine first class to run the Mayweather in Hawaii, the headmaster dutifully complies, but Nathanial gets in a few parting shots on his way out the door.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: duteously, obediently, respectfully, reverently, submissively, accordantly, accordingly, agreeably, appropriately, becomingly, compliantly, conformably, consistently, duly, fitly, properly, rightly, suitably, chastely, continently, correctly, decently, decorously, deservingly, dutifully, meritoriously, modestly, morally, nobly, right-mindedly, righteously, virtuously, worthily

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

out of a sense of duty; in a dutiful manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he dutifully visited his mother every Sunday

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English dutiful Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English dutifully From dutiful + -ly.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Estonian: kohusetundlikult — in a dutiful manner
  • Finnish: kuuliaisesti — in a dutiful manner
  • Finnish: tunnollisesti — in a dutiful manner
  • Finnish: vastuullisesti — in a dutiful manner
  • French: attentivement — in a dutiful manner
  • French: consciencieusement — in a dutiful manner
  • French: scrupuleusement — in a dutiful manner
  • French: soigneusement — in a dutiful manner
  • Polish: sumiennie — in a dutiful manner
  • Russian: исполни́тельно (ispolnítelʹno) — in a dutiful manner