straight-ahead
adjective
: relating to or being music performed in an unembellished manner typical of a given idiom or performer
broadly
: straightforward
Examples of straight-ahead in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That album was a potent return to straight-ahead, band-in-a-room rock after a couple records that leaned more into studio craft, and everything about their new music suggests their next album will continue in that vein.
—
Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2025
For entrees, the Spice steak is a straight-ahead option, steak frites (+$10), four or five medallions of tender hangar steak with a peppery-bold au poivre sauce and crisp fries.
—Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
The singer went on to release eight more albums during a career, jumping from reggae, to traditional Irish songs and fairly straight-ahead pop.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025
The menu is straight-ahead diner fare, well executed with oversized portions.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 14 Aug. 2025
When & where: 1 p.m. Aug. 9 at Montgomery Theater Stage
The skinny: At the center of the straight-ahead jazz scene since the early 1980s, drummer Carl Allen has worked with a vast constellation of jazz greats, a status he’s attained himself as a bandleader and educator.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025
Hochman laughs when describing the 1940s hero who seems to share his straight-ahead approach to the job.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2025
This is probably the most straight-ahead mystery on the list, yet Harris’s work always has a tinge of something else for me, a hint at something slightly more profound at play.
—Dwyer Murphy
june 24, Literary Hub, 24 June 2025
Some claim the expression refers to the smartest based on straight-ahead smarts.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
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Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2025
For entrees, the Spice steak is a straight-ahead option, steak frites (+$10), four or five medallions of tender hangar steak with a peppery-bold au poivre sauce and crisp fries.
—Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
The singer went on to release eight more albums during a career, jumping from reggae, to traditional Irish songs and fairly straight-ahead pop.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025
The menu is straight-ahead diner fare, well executed with oversized portions.
—Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 14 Aug. 2025
When & where: 1 p.m. Aug. 9 at Montgomery Theater Stage
The skinny: At the center of the straight-ahead jazz scene since the early 1980s, drummer Carl Allen has worked with a vast constellation of jazz greats, a status he’s attained himself as a bandleader and educator.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025
Hochman laughs when describing the 1940s hero who seems to share his straight-ahead approach to the job.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2025
This is probably the most straight-ahead mystery on the list, yet Harris’s work always has a tinge of something else for me, a hint at something slightly more profound at play.
—Dwyer Murphy
june 24, Literary Hub, 24 June 2025
Some claim the expression refers to the smartest based on straight-ahead smarts.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Straight-ahead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straight-ahead. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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