as in openly
in an honest and direct manner
straightforwardly yet compassionately, the doctor tells his cancer patients what their odds for survival are
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Recent Examples of straightforwardly
The moment was originally going to be all dialogue and played very straightforwardly, but Madsen and Porter worked together to seed human voices into the music cue for the moment where the Others start to swarm Carol.
—
Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025
Ideally, that chocolate flavor wouldn’t be straightforwardly sweet.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025
Whatever yours are, communicating them straightforwardly before showing up for the holidays will help make the experience more pleasant.
—Sydney Bauer, Them., 21 Nov. 2025
Gay’s other interviews are more straightforwardly heartbreaking.
—Judy Berman, Time, 12 Nov. 2025
Gene’s was straightforwardly, familiarly brutal—severe cardiovascular disease.
—Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Jeff looks at things very straightforwardly and is damned fearless, right?
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
Everything, including the beer, is made from scratch, here, and the house burger, made from a brisket/chuck blend, is straightforwardly delicious.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
Notwithstanding its elaborately disordered presentation, the film’s more straightforwardly biographical material contains few surprises.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 Sep. 2025
Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025
Ideally, that chocolate flavor wouldn’t be straightforwardly sweet.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025
Whatever yours are, communicating them straightforwardly before showing up for the holidays will help make the experience more pleasant.
—Sydney Bauer, Them., 21 Nov. 2025
Gay’s other interviews are more straightforwardly heartbreaking.
—Judy Berman, Time, 12 Nov. 2025
Gene’s was straightforwardly, familiarly brutal—severe cardiovascular disease.
—Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Jeff looks at things very straightforwardly and is damned fearless, right?
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
Everything, including the beer, is made from scratch, here, and the house burger, made from a brisket/chuck blend, is straightforwardly delicious.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
Notwithstanding its elaborately disordered presentation, the film’s more straightforwardly biographical material contains few surprises.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straightforwardly
Adverb
-
Combs says another reason younger generations are so susceptible to this is because they were raised in households where money was rarely openly discussed, leaving them ill-equipped to ask direct financial questions or understand whether they’re financially aligned with their partner early on.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Activists and Iranians in the country are painting a different picture, saying security forces are openly brandishing military rifles and shooting civilians.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
When the Trump administration announced last month that every new H-1B visa would come with a $100,000 fee, the objective seemed straightforward: encourage companies, particularly tech companies that rely heavily on the program, to start hiring American workers and stop driving down American wages.—
Aditi Sangal,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
-
What might otherwise be a straightforward creepy historical novel is deepened by these uncanny phrasings, and Ravn’s attention to the social bonds in this world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
And then there’s Hanse, who sincerely assumed he was brought on to be the preserver of tradition.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
It certainly can be deployed sincerely, yet it’s almost always accompanied by a good-natured, perhaps slightly exasperated, shake of the head.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
3 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Speak plainly — clarity protects the interests of everyone involved.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Jan. 2026
-
McDaniel put the situation quite plainly in his end of year press conference.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
10 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Now all that’s left is to simply build upon his turnaround.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Alcohol license holders are simply bound by city and county laws as well.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The appeals on stage spoke forthrightly about God, usually in explicitly Christian terms.—
Ronald J. Hansen,
AZCentral.com,
22 Sep. 2025
-
This absolute confidentiality helps give penitents the confidence to approach confession forthrightly, without holding back.—
Timothy Gabrielli,
The Conversation,
25 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
When the building abruptly closed this spring, with tenants initially given just 48 hours to vacate, Hartquist hopped across the skyway to the Town Square building.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Tommy travels to Louisiana for a launch party marking the start of M-Tex’s offshore drilling project — but the celebration quickly unravels when Cami (Demi Moore) abruptly cuts ties with him.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Just every player on the team, honestly.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Oh, honestly, a little bit of both.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straightforwardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straightforwardly. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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