outright

adverb

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

5 archaic : straight ahead : directly

outright

adjective

out·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

Other Words from outright Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About outright

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Where they can be owned differs state to state, with more than half outright banning or severely restricting the private ownership of exotic animals. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2022 Marvel rarely outright adapts its stories, usually weaving several influences into a movie, even sometimes breaking from the literary sources entirely. — Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 July 2022 Despite more than a dozen major banks recently reducing or outright eliminating overdraft fees, Democratic lawmakers continue to push for legislation that would curb the practice on a national level. — Megan Leonhardt, Fortune, 12 July 2022 This year, some communities across the west including many in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah are outright cancelling fireworks shows because of the wildfire risk. — Jim Foerster, Forbes, 27 June 2022 Salah has just finished a Premier League season as the top scorer, either outright or tied, for the third time in his five years at Liverpool, sharing the Golden Boot award with Tottenham forward Son Heung-min with 23 goals. — Steve Douglas, ajc, 25 May 2022 For the second consecutive season, the Lions finished the regular season undefeated, earning the sixth consecutive outright or shared county championship. — Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 11 Apr. 2022 And at the White House, Mr. Biden has made a point of outright rejecting the most severe rhetoric embraced by the activist left. — New York Times, 8 June 2022 If a consumer needs to make a big purchase, like a dishwasher, but doesn't have the cash on hand to buy it outright, BNPL can help that consumer spread out payments without racking up credit card debt. — Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 8 June 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective But roller coaster values, an outright ban of cryptocurrencies in China and eight other countries, and restrictions in mining-rich areas like Texas, has generated unwanted attention for cryptocurrencies and their miners in the past year. — al, 1 Aug. 2022 And some even called for an outright ban on personal private jets. — Christine Mui, Fortune, 28 July 2022 Washington, meanwhile, has cautioned the EU over an outright oil ban and is trying to fashion instead a Russia oil price cap that would lessen the sting for the rest of the world. — Laurence Norman, WSJ, 27 July 2022 From a legal perspective, an outright ban on mifepristone would be the easiest to challenge in court, but few states have actually pursued that sort of ban. — Nicholas Florko, STAT, 28 June 2022 That ban, along with the outright ban that's been blocked by a federal judge, only allows exceptions to protect the life of the mother in a medical emergency. — Arkansas Online, 26 June 2022 Recent consumer confidence numbers also show anxiety, if not outright panic. — Samuel Goldman, The Week, 11 May 2022 Kalanick and Neumann both built their companies on an obfuscation, if not an outright lie. — Emma Dibdin, Town & Country, 10 Mar. 2022 See, that’s either disingenuous, or an outright lie. — Gregg Doyel, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Feb. 2022 See More

These 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.