directness

noun

di·​rect·​ness də-ˈrek(t)-nəs How to pronounce directness (audio)
dī-
Synonyms of directnessnext
1
: the character of being accurate in course or aim
2
: strict pertinence : straightforwardness
Her directness was disarming.Robin Cook

Examples of directness in a Sentence

his directness is much appreciated by his patients
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The plainspoken lyrics align with a broader embrace of sincerity, privileging emotional directness over irony. Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 14 Apr. 2026 Beneath those explicit instructions, personality is also shaped by reinforcement learning from human feedback, a process in which human raters reward certain qualities such as warmth, directness and caution, and penalize unwanted behaviors. Tamilla Triantoro, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026 The directness with which the camera meets the eyes of the film’s subjects suggests compassion for their disfigurement and isolation (indeed, Farrokhzad adopted a boy from the colony), but there are no interviews. Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026 In the interim, entire scenes have absorbed her lessons about emotional directness without melodrama and club music that simultaneously thinks and feels, but often without matching her clarity or nerve. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 24 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for directness

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of directness was in 1598

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Cite this Entry

“Directness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/directness. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.

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