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
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
WalletHub has studied deferred interest since 2012, periodically flagging retailers that offer the loans and rating their financing offers on transparency and forthrightness.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
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
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
WalletHub has studied deferred interest since 2012, periodically flagging retailers that offer the loans and rating their financing offers on transparency and forthrightness.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025
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
Noun
-
The responses — spanning practical strategy, personal storytelling and a fair amount of blunt honesty — reveal what casting is really looking for and why standing out starts with authenticity.—
Terry Terrones,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
-
Despite that questionable track record, Barbie is really good at her job, and her bratty attitude and brazen honesty can be winning, in a mean-girl-in-a-movie kind of way.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Love on the Spectrum — gentle, warm, built on sincerity rather than spectacle — represents an evolution within the genre.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
-
But what is most immediately striking about the film is its straightforward sincerity.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Just as the story mines humor from the collision of old-fashioned ways with a modern frankness, Paul’s score combines the appeal of jaunty golden-age sounds with a freshness that feels present day.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 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
-
In that video, her performance seemed oriented toward showcasing technical ability, overriding the song’s directness with display.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
But the bluntness of the lyrics arrives just as quickly, undercutting the atmosphere by naming too plainly what the music had already begun to evoke with greater force.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
30 Apr. 2026
-
If someone tends to have more of a combative communication style, they might have been raised to see bluntness as just telling the truth.—
Nancy Pulciano,
Rolling Stone,
20 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
-
That the precise prose of this account, and numerous other anecdotes, is written with the kind of titanic certainty that would sway a jury is expected; what’s surprising, however, is Crenshaw’s candor in revealing her vulnerability and disappointments.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
-
Contemporary, timeless, and deeply intimate in its candor, Scenes From The Divide honored all viewpoints about Mamdani’s potential impact on the Jewish community by anchoring the title in a thoughtful, compassionate lead seeking understanding from voters.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
His outspokenness has spurred discourse among country music's Republican-leaning audience.—
Mars Salazar,
Austin American Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The actor recently reflected on his political outspokenness in an interview with Vanity Fair.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forthrightness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forthrightness. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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