as in openly
in an honest and direct manner
the police commissioner forthrightly and unhesitatingly admitted his mistake
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Recent Examples of forthrightly
The appeals on stage spoke forthrightly about God, usually in explicitly Christian terms.
—
Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 22 Sep. 2025
This absolute confidentiality helps give penitents the confidence to approach confession forthrightly, without holding back.
—Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
His exile, rather than marginalizing him, gave him the rare platform from which to speak forthrightly.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 22 Sep. 2025
This absolute confidentiality helps give penitents the confidence to approach confession forthrightly, without holding back.
—Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
His exile, rather than marginalizing him, gave him the rare platform from which to speak forthrightly.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forthrightly
Adverb
-
Parents should discuss digital safety openly.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
That tension brings the conversation back to Mamdani, whose campaign, Piker argues, has tested those boundaries more openly than most.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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What seemed novel to me was the idea of using it sincerely, quietly, without the implicit mockery of gender categories.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
-
My parents’ house is sincerely stunning; my mom designed the whole thing.—
Bryce Jones,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Just kidding - but honestly not sold on him being the best player on a championship caliber team.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Many of Macy’s interactions have the quality of alternately pushing and easing up—expressing herself honestly and then knowing when to cool off.—
Alex Kotlowitz,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
When the Trump administration announced last month that every new H-1B visa would come with a $100,000 fee, the objective seemed straightforward: encourage companies, particularly tech companies that rely heavily on the program, to start hiring American workers and stop driving down American wages.—
Aditi Sangal,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
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What might otherwise be a straightforward creepy historical novel is deepened by these uncanny phrasings, and Ravn’s attention to the social bonds in this world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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Gene’s was straightforwardly, familiarly brutal—severe cardiovascular disease.—
Joy Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Jeff looks at things very straightforwardly and is damned fearless, right?—
Fortune Editors,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Carlile includes some of her most plainly autobiographical lyrics, at the beginning and end (like her first plane trip, one state over, to Idaho, as an adult, an anecdote familiar from her bestselling memoir of a few years back).—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
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What happens when a candidate speaks plainly?—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Last week Halligan abruptly fired the author of the memo, career prosecutor Elizabeth Yusi, in part due to her resistance to bringing the case against James, sources said.—
Katherine Faulders,
ABC News,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Then, the activity abruptly stopped.—
Jim Beaugez,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forthrightly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forthrightly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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