forthrightness

noun

as in honesty
the free expression of one's true feelings and opinions I valued her forthrightness in telling me she didn't like being called "Susie"

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 forthrightness Alvarado has had to address that in the wake of the film’s release, and perhaps that forthrightness has aided the box office. — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 22 July 2026 Your forthrightness will set the tone for future dates. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 6 June 2026 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 Fortune spoke with six people who have invested in Anthropic to get a sense of how this key constituency is feeling about the situation, and found that opinions were not unified despite the company’s longstanding forthrightness about its values. — Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2026 Monique’s penchant for forthrightness, almost to the point of abruptness, is what makes her reintegration to the cast fascinating already. — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025 For parents, the name of the game is forthrightness. — Nona Han, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025 The elections have vindicated Move Forward’s forthrightness, confirming that citizens want a national conversation about the monarchy. — Tamara Loos, Foreign Affairs, 25 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forthrightness
  1. honesty
  2. sincerity
  3. frankness
  4. directness
  5. bluntness
  6. straightforwardness
  7. candor
  8. outspokenness
Noun
  • A little warmth will keep honesty from sounding like criticism.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 1 Sep. 2026
  • That honesty, counterintuitively, builds more trust than advocacy.
    — Aurelien Mangano, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of honesty
Noun
  • The human nervous system recognizes sincerity faster than polish.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Alter denounced Kanter Freedom as a bad-faith actor and questioned the sincerity of his concerns about transgender women in sports.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of sincerity
Noun
  • Written with grimy, enlivening frankness — and an ability to dig into moral ambiguity — every character scrambles to get a leg up.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • King walked into the room with impersonal frankness and sat on the bed beside me.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of frankness
Noun
  • Palace missed Sarr’s directness, with summer signing Dwight McNeil, Eddie Nketiah and Mateta not showing a full understanding.
    — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Marius, approaching 50, is a big doctor in this provincial city, not just a surgeon but the director of the hospital, and a man who prides himself on his directness and honesty.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of directness
Noun
  • What Premier League clubs have shifted away from is — and apologies for the bluntness here — tolerating goalkeepers who aren’t good enough at saving shots.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The Venezuela native never shied away from bluntness — and profanity — in assessing players, plays, games or whatever.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of bluntness
Noun
  • But the Windows handheld software experience on the Claw is just awful compared to the straightforwardness of SteamOS on the Steam Deck.
    — Jay Peters, The Verge, 23 June 2026
  • On Monday morning, Starmer, whose resignation has appeared inevitable for some time, delivered the news with his customary straightforwardness.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
Definition of straightforwardness
Noun
  • There’s a certain grim candor about the president’s palatial ambitions for the executive mansion.
    — Jason Willick, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2026
  • According to another league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity for their candor, New Orleans has been interested in Mathurin since his time in Indiana and sees him as a potential long-term piece.
    — William Guillory, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of candor
Noun
  • Her political outspokenness and fearlessness in challenging the danger women face in flaunting their sexuality, particularly in her native Argentina, is one of her strengths, as is her ability to imagine a new world where that violence doesn’t exist.
    — E.R. Pulgar, Pitchfork, 11 June 2026
  • His outspokenness has spurred discourse among country music's Republican-leaning audience.
    — Mars Salazar, Austin American Statesman, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of outspokenness

Browse Nearby Words

forthrightly
forthrightness
forthwith
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Cite this Entry

“Forthrightness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forthrightness. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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