as in openly
in an honest and direct manner
the police commissioner forthrightly and unhesitatingly admitted his mistake
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Recent Examples of forthrightly
Coming off the ice, Malinin forthrightly congratulated the winner, Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, as if to communicate that Shaidorov won the prize from his own efforts, not from Malinin’s failure.
—
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The appeals on stage spoke forthrightly about God, usually in explicitly Christian terms.
—Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 22 Sep. 2025
This absolute confidentiality helps give penitents the confidence to approach confession forthrightly, without holding back.
—Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
His exile, rather than marginalizing him, gave him the rare platform from which to speak forthrightly.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The appeals on stage spoke forthrightly about God, usually in explicitly Christian terms.
—Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 22 Sep. 2025
This absolute confidentiality helps give penitents the confidence to approach confession forthrightly, without holding back.
—Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
His exile, rather than marginalizing him, gave him the rare platform from which to speak forthrightly.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forthrightly
Adverb
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After nearly 40 years in law enforcement, Harvey spoke openly about the toll a career in public service can take.—
Karen Morfitt,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
People were talking about pregaming alliances very openly this season.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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In a video message, Drake spoke sincerely about how much Furtado had inspired him.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
30 Mar. 2026
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But it’s played sincerely, so the visual contrast just makes the connection feel clumsy, if not outright absurd.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
23 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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These days, balancing the press with writing is honestly a gift.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Which, honestly, only makes the whole thing funnier.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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The moment seemed straightforward: two leaders visiting an industrial complex, shaking hands, smiling for the camera and making a nondescript speech or two.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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The market's logic seemed straightforward: more efficient AI means less demand for chips, less demand for data centers, less demand for power.—
Jon Markman,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Trump does indeed need to get congressional approval to build this thing, wrote the judge, explaining straightforwardly that the president is merely the steward of the White House.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
1 Apr. 2026
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Scalable and practical The system’s architecture scales straightforwardly.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Such an arrest is plainly inconsistent with basic First Amendment principles.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
23 Mar. 2026
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The inference, plainly, is that is not the case at the moment.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Communications or conversations can feel abruptly charged or destabilizing during the Leo moon.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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Kenwood Vineyards, a longtime Sonoma Valley winery, has abruptly closed its tasting room, and a new property sale raises fresh questions about the brand’s future.—
Aidin Vaziri,
San Francisco Chronicle,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forthrightly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forthrightly. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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