frankly

adverb

ˈfraŋ-klē How to pronounce frankly (audio)
Definition of franklynext
as in honestly
to tell the truth frankly, I'd rather stay at home than go to the movies tonight

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 frankly This latter scenario is, frankly, awkward because of the phone's size and weight. — Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026 The elevated co-ord delivers an effortlessly chic look that frankly looks far pricer than $45. — Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 24 Aug. 2026 This isn't a straight up and down job, which looks terrible, frankly. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026 And quite frankly, from the Democrats like Angie Nixon, like David Jolly. — CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for frankly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frankly
  1. honestly
  2. actually
  3. really
  4. indeed
Adverb
  • Build your corner deliberately, tend it honestly and be just as willing to stand in someone else’s.
    — Jeanan Yasiri Moe, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • And honestly, that’s kind of the best joke there is — some classic America’s Funniest Home Videos type stuff.
    — Maria Bamford, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of honestly
Adverb
  • Arresting for sure, but c’mon how many people were actually going to pay that much for a hair-dryer?
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • So to be a part of that in any way is exciting, but to have the honor of actually playing her husband in something?
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of actually
Adverb
  • There’s no point building a humanoid robot that’s really good at a specific task and not very good at generalising.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The joy Lisa has with her RHUGT cast compared with the dread her RHOSLC cast seems to bring her really bums me out — especially because of how much of this trip is championing the sisterhood of Housewives.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of really
Adverb
  • This shows that the new round of AI model competition has indeed reached the pricing level.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • If the Chiefs indeed keep a sixth cornerback, Kristian Fulton, Melvin Smith, Kevin Knowles, Kader Kohou and Kair Elam are the candidates in that order.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of indeed

Browse Nearby Words

franking
frankly
frankness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All