as in openly
in an honest and direct manner
the police commissioner forthrightly and unhesitatingly admitted his mistake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of forthrightly
Foley has been the one board member who has forthrightly stood up for oversight and accountability on every key issue.
—
The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
Coming off the ice, Malinin forthrightly congratulated the winner, Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, as if to communicate that Shaidorov won the prize from his own efforts, not from Malinin’s failure.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
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
The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
Coming off the ice, Malinin forthrightly congratulated the winner, Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, as if to communicate that Shaidorov won the prize from his own efforts, not from Malinin’s failure.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forthrightly
Adverb
-
By far the best known of Egypt’s players, Salah is a Sunni Muslim who practices his faith openly, on and off the field.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
-
Like Kennedy, many of them hold anti-vaccine views and are also openly hostile to mRNA technology.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
18 June 2026
Adverb
-
For example, someone may sincerely believe a supplement, detox or alternative therapy helped when symptoms may have improved naturally or because of expectation alone.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
The back support was there, and as someone who’s five eleven, that was sincerely appreciated.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
15 June 2026
Adverb
-
And honestly, in the short term, founder dependency makes the operating partner's job easier too.—
Louis Mosca,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
-
And, honestly, what a miserable way to go through life.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 June 2026
Adverb
-
Through a layered and deeply nuanced performance, Cardellini transforms what could have been a straightforward femme fatale into a fiercely compelling protagonist.—
Dana Feldman,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2026
-
The moment seemed straightforward: two leaders visiting an industrial complex, shaking hands, smiling for the camera and making a nondescript speech or two.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Perhaps the cleanest rebuke of noisy nativism would be for England to win, and, if Tuchel can take that final step that eluded Southgate, he’ll be immortalized, too—perhaps in a prestige miniseries of his own, and a more straightforwardly triumphal one at that.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
18 June 2026
-
What that means is barely explained in the show’s opening arc, which is more straightforwardly rendered than the increasingly surreal final episodes, yet already a strange work rife with symbolism and abstract visual storytelling.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
Adverb
-
Draft the pitch and edit the newsletter so your plan lands plainly, and keep the tone upbeat.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
-
The Islamic Republic has always claimed that its domestic opponents were stooges of Israel and the United States, even when those charges were plainly implausible.—
Laura Secor,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
Adverb
-
The music stops abruptly as the Grammy winner breathes deeply and even seems to stumble backward at one point.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
21 June 2026
-
Anthropic's Fable 5 AI model was abruptly pulled from public release by government order, citing national security concerns.—
Paul Baier,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forthrightly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forthrightly. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
