as in honesty
the free expression of one's true feelings and opinions
considering her reputation for frankness, I knew she would tell me what she really thought of my dress
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Recent Examples of frankness
Her emotional frankness has also translated into measurable commercial impact.
—
Amy Francombe, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2026
The cast rises to the challenge of Churchill’s rapid-fire, often overlapping dialogue, with comedic highlights including Pope Joan’s coarse frankness and Dull Gret’s unexpected interjections.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
The future king addressed his personal introspective journey with frankness and awareness, an openness unusual for the royal family, which is traditionally reserved on many topics including difficult emotions and mental health.
—Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off those comments as an example of the president’s frankness.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 8 Dec. 2025
Their frankness and loyalty are also notable when the call is in.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 23 Nov. 2025
But despite its frankness, the show is more interested in ambition than in sexuality or gender relations.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
The recording of that release as depicted in the documentary is the balancing light to the overwhelming dark Osbourne experienced in his later years, a series of illnesses, hospitalizations, frustrations and ceaseless pain shown with unblinking frankness.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Collier, who was injured during the playoff series, read from a prepared statement that shocked everyone watching—if not for its contents, for its frankness.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Amy Francombe, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2026
The cast rises to the challenge of Churchill’s rapid-fire, often overlapping dialogue, with comedic highlights including Pope Joan’s coarse frankness and Dull Gret’s unexpected interjections.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
The future king addressed his personal introspective journey with frankness and awareness, an openness unusual for the royal family, which is traditionally reserved on many topics including difficult emotions and mental health.
—Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off those comments as an example of the president’s frankness.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 8 Dec. 2025
Their frankness and loyalty are also notable when the call is in.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 23 Nov. 2025
But despite its frankness, the show is more interested in ambition than in sexuality or gender relations.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
The recording of that release as depicted in the documentary is the balancing light to the overwhelming dark Osbourne experienced in his later years, a series of illnesses, hospitalizations, frustrations and ceaseless pain shown with unblinking frankness.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Collier, who was injured during the playoff series, read from a prepared statement that shocked everyone watching—if not for its contents, for its frankness.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frankness
Noun
-
Eric Church built his career on raw honesty in his music.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
-
What emerges is not just a portrait of a crisis, but also of quiet hope found in connection, in honesty, and in the courage to keep calling.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Joy Randolph, Ke Huy Quan and Daniel Kaluuya nailed the assignment in recent years, giving speeches that struck an endearing balance of humor and sincerity, but always with a dash of the unexpected.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Foligno always skirted the line between earnest and corny, but nobody ever doubted his sincerity.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That directness takes a distinct form in each artist’s practice.—
Miguel Sirgado,
Miami Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
-
She’s also known for her directness, which has led to dramatic clashes with her fellow commissioners.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With Dutch bluntness, Van Gaal had informed Carrick that the 2016 FA Cup final would be Carrick’s last match.—
Michael Walker,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
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She’s built a career on candid takes about relationships, work and the absurdities of everyday life, delivered with her trademark mix of bluntness and charm.—
Travis Pinson,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Fortune spoke with six people who have invested in Anthropic to get a sense of how this key constituency is feeling about the situation, and found that opinions were not unified despite the company’s longstanding forthrightness about its values.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
5 Mar. 2026
-
WalletHub has studied deferred interest since 2012, periodically flagging retailers that offer the loans and rating their financing offers on transparency and forthrightness.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
28 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Rozenshtein was perhaps being diplomatic—the central question about OpenAI for the past several years has been less about candor and more about honesty.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The right people should appreciate your candor.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The duo have become known for their candidness and light-hearted humor, frequently letting viewers in on the chaos of their real lives.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
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The title and author are set large in a text weight of Didot, echoing the candidness of the photo and the material.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frankness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frankness. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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