as in freely
in a direct and honest way; without hiding feelings or opinions
Please feel free to express your opinions openly. The governor has been openly critical of the President.
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Recent Examples of openly
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
Marius’ character was a bit of a plot twist, being one of the more openly antagonistic characters, in the beginning, at least.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
Living under an openly misogynistic president may have felt freakish in 2017, but by his second term, bigotry became yet another disgusting norm.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2026
Lori Lightfoot became the first Black woman and first openly gay person elected mayor of Chicago.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Prime Minister Rob Jetten, the country’s first openly gay leader, is planning to soon marry his partner Nicolás Keenan, an Argentine field hockey star who won a bronze medal with his country’s team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
—Aleksandar Furtula, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
In a region where rulers can quickly pivot from enemy to friend, there is little upside to speaking openly.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Tesla shares dropped another 5 percent, according to The Washington Post, with business experts openly questioning Musk's ability to lead the multi-billion dollar company.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026
Karen Morfitt, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
People were talking about pregaming alliances very openly this season.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
Marius’ character was a bit of a plot twist, being one of the more openly antagonistic characters, in the beginning, at least.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
Living under an openly misogynistic president may have felt freakish in 2017, but by his second term, bigotry became yet another disgusting norm.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2026
Lori Lightfoot became the first Black woman and first openly gay person elected mayor of Chicago.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Prime Minister Rob Jetten, the country’s first openly gay leader, is planning to soon marry his partner Nicolás Keenan, an Argentine field hockey star who won a bronze medal with his country’s team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
—Aleksandar Furtula, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
In a region where rulers can quickly pivot from enemy to friend, there is little upside to speaking openly.
—Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Tesla shares dropped another 5 percent, according to The Washington Post, with business experts openly questioning Musk's ability to lead the multi-billion dollar company.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for openly
Adverb
-
The meeting was private, and no cameras were allowed, so attendees could speak freely.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Who would allow potentially billions of people to post freely if every word could open up the possibility of a lawsuit against the platform?—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
In a video message, Drake spoke sincerely about how much Furtado had inspired him.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
30 Mar. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Openly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/openly. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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