1
as in honesty
the free expression of one's true feelings and opinions
her openness was refreshing after the tiresome coyness of her friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vulnerability
the state of being left without shelter or protection against something harmful
doctors are concerned about the population's openness to the new strain of the flu virus
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 openness
That openness remained, even as Anthropic transitioned from a small research group to a massive company raising tens of billions of dollars from a wide range of profit-hungry investors.
—
Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 6 Mar. 2026
White House officials have signaled their openness to new deals as well.
—Daniel Payne, STAT, 5 Mar. 2026
In theory, that openness reinforces Dropout’s brand.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 Mar. 2026
Trump has also signaled an openness to dialogue with Iran's new leadership, which could be chosen soon.
—Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026
Understanding the origin of that openness is important.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
There was less openness on other points of contention.
—Nina Srinivasan Rathbun, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2026
Years ago, the openness of My Days of 58 might have seemed unimaginable for Callahan.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2026
That openness can be a real competitive advantage.
—Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 6 Mar. 2026
White House officials have signaled their openness to new deals as well.
—Daniel Payne, STAT, 5 Mar. 2026
In theory, that openness reinforces Dropout’s brand.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 Mar. 2026
Trump has also signaled an openness to dialogue with Iran's new leadership, which could be chosen soon.
—Arkansas Online, 2 Mar. 2026
Understanding the origin of that openness is important.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
There was less openness on other points of contention.
—Nina Srinivasan Rathbun, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2026
Years ago, the openness of My Days of 58 might have seemed unimaginable for Callahan.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2026
That openness can be a real competitive advantage.
—Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for openness
Noun
-
Eric Church built his career on raw honesty in his music.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
-
What emerges is not just a portrait of a crisis, but also of quiet hope found in connection, in honesty, and in the courage to keep calling.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has canceled various assessments to determine vulnerabilities to critical infrastructure.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The group pummelled the bot with more than 1,000 prompts to bypass the safeguards and convince Claude they were allowed to test the system for vulnerabilities.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Played with ample sincerity by Jack Quaid, Richie seems like a good dude in a bad situation.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
-
These forces—economic uncertainty, political division, and toxic algorithms—work in a vicious cycle to try and tell us that empathy is weakness… that kindness is gullibility… that sincerity is for suckers.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Also exercise earlier in the day rather than right before bed, keeping as regular a sleep schedule as possible, including on weekends, and getting light exposure in the morning.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Study authors also found that, during twilight hours, every exposure taken will likely have at least one streak in it with these circumstances.—
Monisha Ravisetti,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Her emotional frankness has also translated into measurable commercial impact.—
Amy Francombe,
Vogue,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The cast rises to the challenge of Churchill’s rapid-fire, often overlapping dialogue, with comedic highlights including Pope Joan’s coarse frankness and Dull Gret’s unexpected interjections.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But a triptych of photographs that were released last month, showing Andrew apparently on the floor of Epstein’s New York town house, have a terrible directness.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Known for his candor, Foran once famously told reporters that most of Walmart’s stores were not up to standard, breaking with a company culture that didn’t prize such directness.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Openness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/openness. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
