Word family noun perfection ≠ imperfection perfectionist perfectionism perfectibility adjective perfect ≠ imperfect perfectible perfectionist verb perfect adverb perfectly ≠ imperfectly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishperfectlyper‧fect‧ly /ˈpɜːfɪktli $ ˈpɜːr-/ ●●● S2 W3 adverb 1 COMPLETELYcompletely – used to emphasize what you are saying It’s perfectly normal to be nervous before a performance. The sale was perfectly legal. You can get a perfectly good coat at Sears for a lot less money.2 PERFECTin a perfect way The plan worked perfectly. The steaks were perfectly cooked.Examples from the Corpus
perfectly• After two years in Spain, Kate spoke the language perfectly.• People were screaming at each other without using words, and everyone understood perfectly.• His beautiful dark-gray suit hung on his trim body, perfectly.• Not only did it work perfectly, but the output was indistinguishable from the 550C.• They're not welcome here. We made that perfectly clear.• He was perfectly dressed in a dark suit and tie.• She's always perfectly dressed.• They had thrown out a perfectly good stereo.• Or was there a perfectly legitimate explanation?• This is, as Morrissey well knows, a perfectly natural human condition.• The coffee machine seems to work perfectly now.• This is awkward, for no regulation works perfectly or does quite what it was meant to.• There would be, without a doubt, some perfectly ordinary explanation.• The airplane was standing perfectly still.• Some bisexual relationships work perfectly well as long as everyone knows the score.