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"
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Recent Examples of forthrightness
For parents, the name of the game is forthrightness.
—
Nona Han, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Nona Han, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forthrightness
Noun
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Someone could surprise you with honesty, or a connection could flip overnight.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But Seehorn learned through Gould on Saul that honesty in any direction leads to the respect of an audience, not shameless pandering.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Suddenly, sincerity felt like a fresher approach to a contemporary political story—more interesting, more unexpected, and more aligned with my artistic ethos.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Even with the emotional whiplash of Edward's shifting moods, Pattinson channels a sober sincerity that's almost magnetic.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But despite its frankness, the show is more interested in ambition than in sexuality or gender relations.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The recording of that release as depicted in the documentary is the balancing light to the overwhelming dark Osbourne experienced in his later years, a series of illnesses, hospitalizations, frustrations and ceaseless pain shown with unblinking frankness.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Radha asked, with the directness of a doctor’s child.—
Sam Lipsyte,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Pace was central to everything good about Forest, who were set up to hit opposition with explosive speed and directness on the counter-attack through players such as Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In films like that, the cultural commentary comes more from metaphor than with the bluntness and directness of The Purge.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
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There’s been a bluntness all season to the Hermits’ chats that ordinarily might grate on me.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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The request may be unusual for leaders not familiar with the candor of the younger generation, but the boss approved it without question.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
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Her candor hasn’t been dented—this is a woman who clearly feels and cares deeply about the world.—
Helen Mirren,
Glamour,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Kirk's outspokenness helped dissuade those fears.—
Alex J. Rouhandeh,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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While the rise of GLP-1s brings a myriad of valid concerns − such as its contribution to disordered eating and promotion of thinness as the ideal body type − Williams' outspokenness is a crucial, balanced example of healthy and transparent GLP-1 usage.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forthrightness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forthrightness. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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