down·right
ˈdau̇n-ˌrīt 
1
archaic
: straight down
2
: absolutely sense 1a
downright handsome
downright mean
3
obsolete
: forthright
Synonyms of downright
Examples of downright in a Sentence
Adverb
The movie was downright stupid.
It's very difficult, if not downright impossible.
Adjective
rural folks are often known for their downright speech, as they are generally not ones to beat around the bush
that's a downright lie, and you know it
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 19 May 2026
Pack your bags and prepare to be awestruck Creating a definitive list of the most beautiful cities in the world is a downright impossible task.
—Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 18 May 2026
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
Historically, celebs turned up in reserved and muted evening-wear, but as more eyes have tuned into the red carpet, the fashions have become grander, bolder, and even downright iconic.
—Kevin Huynh, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downright
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Adverb
That fueled the storyline that Valerie would be the only person actually working on the show who knows the scripts are being written by AI, reflecting how careful, and in some cases, downright deceptive, those in Hollywood are in revealing their use of AI.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 19 May 2026
Pack your bags and prepare to be awestruck Creating a definitive list of the most beautiful cities in the world is a downright impossible task.
—Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 18 May 2026
Adjective
At all The middle distribution of Gen-Z’s feelings about AI range from apprehension to downright hatred.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
Historically, celebs turned up in reserved and muted evening-wear, but as more eyes have tuned into the red carpet, the fashions have become grander, bolder, and even downright iconic.
—Kevin Huynh, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downright
Cite this Entry
“Downright.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downright. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
downright
1 of 2 adverb
down·right
-ˌrīt
: in a complete and absolute manner
that was downright stupid
downright
2 of 2 adjective1
: absolute sense 3, utter
a downright lie
downrightly
adverb
downrightness
noun
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