outright

1 of 2

adverb

out·​right ˌau̇t-ˈrīt 

1

: in entirety : completely

rejected the proposal outright

outright refuses to cooperate with law enforcement

—Tim Murphy

2

: on the spot : instantaneously

was killed outright

3

: without lien (see lien sense 1) or encumbrance (see encumbrance sense 2)

purchased the property outright for cash

4

: without restraint or reservation

laughed outright

cried outright

5

archaic : straight ahead : directly

outright

2 of 2

adjective

out·​right ˈau̇t-ˌrīt 

1

a

: being completely or exactly what is stated

—used to make a statement more forceful

That is an outright lie!

b

: given without reservation

outright grants for research

c

: made without encumbrance or lien

an outright sale

2

archaic : proceeding directly onward

outrightly adverb

Synonyms of outright

Adjective

• utter
• unconditional
• sheer
• absolute
• complete
• pure
• total
• simple
• definite

Examples of outright in a Sentence

Adverb

She won the competition outright.

The painting is now owned outright by the museum.

Their house was destroyed outright by the fire.

I bought the car outright.

Adjective

I was surprised by their outright rejection of the idea.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Why the numbers look different this tournament Eight goals before the quarterfinals would have won the last three Golden Boots outright. — Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

Instead of violating the dress code outright, American player Andre Agassi boycotted the championship’s all-white requirement from 1988 to 1990. — Mariah Alanskas, PEOPLE, 10 July 2026

Adjective

According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025, the future of work will increasingly be defined by collaboration between humans and intelligent systems rather than outright replacement of human labor. — Babajide Ojuola, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Crypto developers spun up these entities to manage projects and ensure, in keeping with DeFi’s core ethos, that no centralized entity had outright control over a project. — Ben Weiss, Fortune, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Adjective

1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for outright

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

outright

1 of 2 adverb

out·​right (ˈ)au̇t-ˈrīt 

1

a

: in entirety : completely

sold outright

b

: without holding back

laughed outright

2

: on the spot : instantaneously

killed outright

outright

2 of 2 adjective

out·​right ˈau̇t-ˌrīt 

1

: being exactly what is stated

an outright lie

2

: given without restriction

an outright gift