out-and-out
adjective
: being such completely at all times, in every way, or from every point of view
an out-and-out fraud
Examples of out-and-out in a Sentence
an out-and-out cheater at every game she plays
her story is not just an exaggeration, it's an out-and-out lie
mounted an out-and-out effort to find the lost child
Recent Examples on the Web
Quick wide forwards, though not out-and-out wingers, Evann Guessand and Donyell Malen, came into the starting XI as Emery used a traditional 4-2-3-1.
—
Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Johnson’s performance is out-and-out wonderful, a beady-eyed fusion of body and spirit that osmoses Safdie’s sensibility to deliver what can’t be disputed as the most layered work of the actor’s career.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2025
By contrast, Rose of Nevada is much more of an out-and-out genre piece than either, drifting closer to horror than the director ever has before, while retaining his haunting, glitchy, hand-distressed style, the cinematic equivalent of artist Francis Bacon’s distorted face paintings.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
Amid the typical clamor of summer blockbusters, an out-and-out farce is like an oasis in the desert.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for out-and-out
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Johnson’s performance is out-and-out wonderful, a beady-eyed fusion of body and spirit that osmoses Safdie’s sensibility to deliver what can’t be disputed as the most layered work of the actor’s career.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2025
By contrast, Rose of Nevada is much more of an out-and-out genre piece than either, drifting closer to horror than the director ever has before, while retaining his haunting, glitchy, hand-distressed style, the cinematic equivalent of artist Francis Bacon’s distorted face paintings.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
Amid the typical clamor of summer blockbusters, an out-and-out farce is like an oasis in the desert.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for out-and-out
Cite this Entry
“Out-and-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/out-and-out. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share