frankly

adverb

frank·​ly ˈfraŋ-klē 

1

: in a frank manner

spoke frankly

2

: in truth : indeed

Frankly, I don't know.

Synonyms of frankly

• honestly
• actually
• really
• indeed

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

That was, frankly, ridiculous, and our coverage said as much, arguing that this deep dive into one of Hollywood’s most notorious genre disasters deserved a much wider release. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 July 2026

And so the Mets would have to like Naylor mostly as a third catcher — who, frankly, would get some run given Alvarez’s injury history. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 30 July 2026

Shady McCoy saw right through the act, and frankly, so did everyone else. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026

The unemployment rate [is] quite low and has changed little, quite frankly, over the last year. — Scott Horsley, NPR, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for frankly

• blankly

Kids Definition

frankly

adverb

frank·​ly ˈfraŋ-klē 

1

: in a frank manner

you can speak frankly to us

2

: to tell the truth

frankly, I don't think it's wise