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out·right | \ ˌau̇t-ˈrīt 
\
\Definition of outright
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : in entirety : completely rejected the proposal outright outright refuses to cooperate with law enforcement— Tim Murphy
2 : on the spot : instantaneously was killed outright
3 : without lien (see lien sense 1) or encumbrance (see encumbrance sense 2)
purchased the property outright for cash
4 : without restraint or reservation
laughed outright cried outright
outright
adjectiveout·right | \ ˈau̇t-ˌrīt \
\Definition of outright (Entry 2 of 2)
1a : being completely or exactly what is stated
an outright lie
b : given without reservation
outright grants for research
c : made without encumbrance or lien
an outright sale
2 archaic : proceeding directly onward
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Synonyms for outright
Synonyms: Adjective
- absolute,
- all-out,
- arrant,
- blank,
- blooming
- [chiefly British],
- bodacious
- [Southern & Midland],
- categorical
- (also categoric),
- clean,
- complete,
- consummate,
- cotton-picking,
- crashing,
- damn,
- damned,
- dead,
- deadly,
- definite,
- downright,
- dreadful,
- fair,
- flat,
- flat-out,
- out-and-out,
- perfect,
- plumb,
- profound,
- pure,
- rank,
- regular,
- sheer,
- simple,
- stark,
- stone,
- straight-out,
- thorough,
- thoroughgoing,
- total,
- unadulterated,
- unalloyed,
- unconditional,
- unmitigated,
- unqualified,
- utter,
- very
Examples of outright in a Sentence
Adverb
She won the competition outright.
The painting is now owned outright by the museum.
Their house was destroyed outright by the fire.
I bought the car outright. Adjective
I was surprised by their outright rejection of the idea.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Dahl, whose family sold outright when the land became a park and now lives in Jacksonville, Fla., still frequently visits the islands.
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Chelsey Lewis, jsonline.com, "No longer a Midwestern secret, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore celebrates 50 years," 30 July 2020 Many hospitals outright banned visitors—often even to non-COVID-19 patients.
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Zeynep Tufekci, The Atlantic, "The Tragic Loss of Coronavirus Patients’ Final Words," 9 July 2020 Mexico rejected that idea outright and U.S. taxpayers have funded the barrier, which is under construction.
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David Nakamura, Washington Post, "As economy reels from pandemic, Trump and Mexican president mark start of 3-nation trade pact," 8 July 2020 In the early days of rooftop solar, panels were too expensive for many homeowners to buy outright.
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Tim Mcdonnell, Quartz, "What the biggest-ever solar company acquisition means for the future," 8 July 2020 Rather than either continuing to enforce the federal prohibition on marijuana or repealing it outright, federal policymakers have placed marijuana in a legal twilight zone.
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Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "IT pros indicted after arranging credit card payments for weed startup," 8 July 2020 In addition to buying the laptop, for $1,400 outright or $58 a month for 24 months, Verizon also requires a separate monthly connection fee for the device.
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Aaron Pressman, Fortune, "Review: The Lenovo Flex 5G, the world’s first 5G laptop," 8 July 2020 Even when crowds aren’t destroying a place outright, the sight of countless people treating nature as the backdrop of their personal photo shoot is galling.
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Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, "“I Saw It on Instagram, I Had to Come”: The Desire to Document Ourselves in Nature," 7 July 2020 Several states, including Colorado and California, have moved to outright close down bars.
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Fox News, "How Fourth of July in 2020 will be unlike any other: no beach, no booze, no BBQ," 4 July 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Whereas most wee lads are the subject of their parents’ adoration, I was raised with outright derision.
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Harris Mayersohn, The New Yorker, "Everyone Hates Me," 1 Aug. 2020 On July 27th Boris Johnson announced that Britain will ban the advertising of unhealthy food on television before 9pm and consider an outright ban online.
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The Economist, "Fat chance Boris Johnson’s plans for a fitter nation," 1 Aug. 2020 Both triggered a mix of outright anger and some actual applause.
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Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, "Does a 401(k) plan still make sense for you? It might, or might not," 31 July 2020 Those countries are moving to reduce plastic waste imports, but don't have an outright ban -- yet.
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Emiko Jozuka, CNN, "Japan finally announced a fee for plastic bags. Will that stop its obsession with plastic?," 29 July 2020 Most surveys show the incumbent falling short of an outright majority in the first round on Sunday and neck-and-neck with his leading rival, Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, in a run-off slated for July 12.
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Justin Sink, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Says U.S. Will Relocate Some Troops to Poland From Germany," 1 July 2020 That often results in the appearance of compromise and accommodation, if not outright backroom deals.
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Richard Wolf, USA TODAY, "Supreme Court's mix of liberal, conservative rulings shows influence of a powerful chief justice," 10 July 2020 An outright violation of a court order could result in fines or jail time.
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BostonGlobe.com, "Bath Iron Works lays off workers because of strike," 8 July 2020 This was the era of the War on Drugs, the Welfare Queen, and the starting point for the country’s soaring rates of incarceration—cornerstones of an outright and sustained campaign of state violence against Black people in America.
—
Isabel Cristo, The New Republic, "Policing Doesn’t Protect Women," 6 July 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'outright.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for outright
outright
adverbEnglish Language Learners Definition of outright
(Entry 1 of 2)
: in a full and complete way
: quickly and completely : not gradually
: in one payment of money
outright
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of outright (Entry 2 of 2)
: complete and total
: not limited in any way : done, made, or given in a complete way
See the full definition for outright in the English Language Learners Dictionary
outright
adverbout·right | \ au̇t-ˈrīt \
\Kids Definition of outright
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : completely They rejected the idea outright.
2 : without holding back
He laughed outright at the story.
3 : quickly and entirely
Fire destroyed the house outright.
outright
adjectiveout·right | \ ˈau̇t-ˌrīt \
\Kids Definition of outright (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : complete and total : very clear or obvious
an outright lie
2 : done, made, or given with no restrictions or exceptions
an outright gift
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Time Traveler for outright
The first known use of outright was in the 14th century
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