frankly

adverb

frank·​ly ˈfraŋ-klē How to pronounce frankly (audio)
1
: in a frank manner
spoke frankly
2
: in truth : indeed
frankly, I don't know

Examples of frankly in a Sentence

You can speak frankly to us. frankly, I'd rather stay at home than go to the movies tonight
Recent Examples on the Web This is a lot of responsibility to put on teachers, but quite frankly, kids deserve to be in the care of grownups who care about their feelings at all times. Zara Hanawalt, Parents, 1 Dec. 2023 Marketing without an inclusive lens is quite frankly not good for business. Sonia Thompson, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 Nothing about the wiper or, frankly, about the Cybertruck makes much sense. Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 30 Nov. 2023 Quite frankly, everybody was over it at that point. Zack Sharf, Variety, 29 Nov. 2023 Find it on Amazon This Stone Bath Mat Dries in Minutes Most fabric bathmats are still wet the next day, which, quite frankly, is f-cking disgusting. Poppy Morgan, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2023 But, frankly, reading between the lines, there is a thick streak of libertarianism running through the space settlement community. Chris Lee, Ars Technica, 20 Nov. 2023 Your experience and your feelings are her chance to open her mind and be, frankly, less of a jerk. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023 But what's next has her (and frankly all of us) super excited. Sari Hitchins, Parents, 21 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frankly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of frankly was in 1537

Dictionary Entries Near frankly

Cite this Entry

“Frankly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frankly. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

frankly

adverb
frank·​ly ˈfraŋ-klē How to pronounce frankly (audio)
1
: in a frank manner
you can speak frankly to us
2
: to tell the truth
frankly, I don't think it's wise

More from Merriam-Webster on frankly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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