down·right
ˈdau̇n-ˌrīt 
1
archaic
: straight down
2
: absolutely sense 1a
downright handsome
downright mean
3
obsolete
: forthright
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
Daniel Depetris, Time, 7 Aug. 2025
Because there’s a difference between requesting to have an error fixed and downright disrespect or manipulation.
—Miriam Kirmayer, SELF, 6 Aug. 2025
Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
Whether this was spin, or downright revisionism, depends on your point of view.
—Fergus McIntosh, New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downright
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Adverb
The bottom line is downright depressing: short of a direct U.S. military intervention that no serious analyst would contemplate, Trump’s toolkit to will a Ukraine peace deal into existence is bare.
—Daniel Depetris, Time, 7 Aug. 2025
Because there’s a difference between requesting to have an error fixed and downright disrespect or manipulation.
—Miriam Kirmayer, SELF, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The official story told by official sources, the story we’ve been trained to trust, is often a distortion, or a downright fabrication.
—Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
Whether this was spin, or downright revisionism, depends on your point of view.
—Fergus McIntosh, New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downright
Cite this Entry
“Downright.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downright. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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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