as in honesty
the free expression of one's true feelings and opinions
his directness is much appreciated by his patients
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of directness
This is the meeting of the messenger planet and the taskmaster, let alone in the zodiac’s most fearless sign, setting the stage for a transit that cuts right through the fluff, forcing truth and directness.
—
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Beneath those explicit instructions, personality is also shaped by reinforcement learning from human feedback, a process in which human raters reward certain qualities such as warmth, directness and caution, and penalize unwanted behaviors.
—Tamilla Triantoro, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
The directness with which the camera meets the eyes of the film’s subjects suggests compassion for their disfigurement and isolation (indeed, Farrokhzad adopted a boy from the colony), but there are no interviews.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
In the interim, entire scenes have absorbed her lessons about emotional directness without melodrama and club music that simultaneously thinks and feels, but often without matching her clarity or nerve.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for directness
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Beneath those explicit instructions, personality is also shaped by reinforcement learning from human feedback, a process in which human raters reward certain qualities such as warmth, directness and caution, and penalize unwanted behaviors.
—Tamilla Triantoro, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
The directness with which the camera meets the eyes of the film’s subjects suggests compassion for their disfigurement and isolation (indeed, Farrokhzad adopted a boy from the colony), but there are no interviews.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
In the interim, entire scenes have absorbed her lessons about emotional directness without melodrama and club music that simultaneously thinks and feels, but often without matching her clarity or nerve.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for directness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for directness
Noun
-
Brands should rethink ownership, durability and honesty.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
These challenges require transparency, honesty and strong relationships.—
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards,
Mercury News,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
What is necessary for a successful religious accommodation request is sincerity, Paul told USA TODAY.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
While many fans have questioned the sincerity of the effort that A’s owner John Fisher and MLB made to keep the A’s in Oakland, MLB officials also grew frustrated by the process.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Seydoux asks me in a moment of frankness.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
18 May 2026
-
Her love for the city is palpable, imbued with her frankness, her fun, her queerness, and her history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Rise and fall But Healy, with her characteristic bluntness, didn’t sugar-coat what happened to that law.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
-
If a culture prizes bluntness, ask where honesty has been missing.—
Sarah DaVanzo,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
There’s something both startling and seductive about such forthrightness.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
To say we are disappointed by the lack of urgency and forthrightness from the city attorney’s office is an understatement.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Mary Gaitskill is particularly good at this ideal combination of straightforwardness and pithiness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Her question, in Lipe-Smith’s inquisitive piccolo of a voice, is heartbreaking in its blend of straightforwardness and desperate desire, as is her mother’s wavering response.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Workers who rated their manager high on visibility, approachability, and candor were 72% less likely to report a productivity drop.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
Some candor would go a long way with the Mets right now.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Directness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/directness. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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