as in freely
in a direct and honest way; without hiding feelings or opinions
Please feel free to express your opinions openly. The governor has been openly critical of the President.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of openly
In the series, the Academy Award-winning director and his older daughters openly discuss how Martin was not always the most present parent during the earlier parts of his career in the 1970s.
—
Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
While doing a press tour amid the release of her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, Swift has openly discussed her engagement to the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and offered details on her engagement ring that has caught attention for its sizable diamond.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Onstage at the Ford Pro Accelerate summit earlier this week, organized by Farley to bring together business leaders to discuss big-picture solutions, the Ford leader revealed that his own son was openly questioning whether to go to college, having really enjoyed his summer job as a mechanic.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
And then, in 1975, that same man comes out as gay, openly, on the cover of TIME.
—Arman Khan, Them., 3 Oct. 2025
Young, who has also been diagnosed with ADHD, has used her platform to speak openly in an effort to destigmatize mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
To local observers like Matt Huckleby, the Lawrence Township Republican Party chairman, the fact that Democratic councilors are openly criticizing the Democratic mayor is striking.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
This is an invitation to express yourself more openly, despite external pressures from others to stay quiet or muted.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
That included openly declaring his hatred for the LDS church.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
While doing a press tour amid the release of her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, Swift has openly discussed her engagement to the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and offered details on her engagement ring that has caught attention for its sizable diamond.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Onstage at the Ford Pro Accelerate summit earlier this week, organized by Farley to bring together business leaders to discuss big-picture solutions, the Ford leader revealed that his own son was openly questioning whether to go to college, having really enjoyed his summer job as a mechanic.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
And then, in 1975, that same man comes out as gay, openly, on the cover of TIME.
—Arman Khan, Them., 3 Oct. 2025
Young, who has also been diagnosed with ADHD, has used her platform to speak openly in an effort to destigmatize mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
To local observers like Matt Huckleby, the Lawrence Township Republican Party chairman, the fact that Democratic councilors are openly criticizing the Democratic mayor is striking.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
This is an invitation to express yourself more openly, despite external pressures from others to stay quiet or muted.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
That included openly declaring his hatred for the LDS church.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for openly
Adverb
-
Martin Scorsese has always been an open book, a storyteller who has offered his autobiography freely and an auteur whose deepest philosophical themes have been recurring and explored in bold type.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Oct. 2025
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But as Abetti freely admits, there is a chasm between a brilliant idea and a lasting enterprise.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Wole returned his gaze, equally sincerely, but Sylvester jumped between them, grabbing Wole’s hand as their father let go.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
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In criticizing how some Republicans reacted to Charlie Kirk's death, Jimmy Kimmel alleged that conservatives were using Kirk's assassination for political advantage rather than mourning the conservative activist sincerely.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Openly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/openly. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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