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
What that means is barely explained in the show’s opening arc, which is more straightforwardly rendered than the increasingly surreal final episodes, yet already a strange work rife with symbolism and abstract visual storytelling.
—
Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 12 June 2026
Another was more straightforwardly hopeful, expressing a wish to see Iran progress in the tournament and a belief that success on the pitch might, however tentatively, cut across political divisions.
—Shirvin Zeinalzadeh, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
Lily Allen, Jack Whitehall and Timothy Spall also star in Tina Gharavi's SXSW London opener, which refashions Woolf's diffuse, ruminative feminist novel into a straightforwardly inspirational tale.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 June 2026
The slapstick titles—Crackned Horsez, To of Them, Ape Island, all 1972—further stymied any straightforwardly polemical takeaway.
—Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026
The hero of Vidal’s novel is straightforwardly based on Hearst, while the wealthy, castle-dwelling Californian in Huxley’s novel bears a more veiled, but still unmistakable, resemblance to him.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
While there could be ways around that prohibition—like using the 25th Amendment to temporarily step down from the presidency and then have the vice president pardon the president—presidents could not straightforwardly issue a pardon to themselves, the Nixon-era DOJ wrote.
—Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Wyle sees the fandom response stemming from a desire for Robby to remain straightforwardly good, not a reflection of the show’s shifting priorities about which characters are emphasized or how they’re portrayed.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Superpowers rarely inflict such swift and straightforwardly embarrassing injury to themselves.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026
Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 12 June 2026
Another was more straightforwardly hopeful, expressing a wish to see Iran progress in the tournament and a belief that success on the pitch might, however tentatively, cut across political divisions.
—Shirvin Zeinalzadeh, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
Lily Allen, Jack Whitehall and Timothy Spall also star in Tina Gharavi's SXSW London opener, which refashions Woolf's diffuse, ruminative feminist novel into a straightforwardly inspirational tale.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 June 2026
The slapstick titles—Crackned Horsez, To of Them, Ape Island, all 1972—further stymied any straightforwardly polemical takeaway.
—Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026
The hero of Vidal’s novel is straightforwardly based on Hearst, while the wealthy, castle-dwelling Californian in Huxley’s novel bears a more veiled, but still unmistakable, resemblance to him.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
While there could be ways around that prohibition—like using the 25th Amendment to temporarily step down from the presidency and then have the vice president pardon the president—presidents could not straightforwardly issue a pardon to themselves, the Nixon-era DOJ wrote.
—Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Wyle sees the fandom response stemming from a desire for Robby to remain straightforwardly good, not a reflection of the show’s shifting priorities about which characters are emphasized or how they’re portrayed.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Superpowers rarely inflict such swift and straightforwardly embarrassing injury to themselves.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straightforwardly
Adverb
-
Pimentel argued the school failed to intervene despite students openly discussing the security guard's behavior.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
That includes making the connection between gender-balanced leadership and business results explicit, ensuring women have a seat at the table in core decision-making roles, and sharing progress openly with employees, investors, and prospective hires.—
Liz Elting,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Adverb
-
The moment seemed straightforward: two leaders visiting an industrial complex, shaking hands, smiling for the camera and making a nondescript speech or two.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The market's logic seemed straightforward: more efficient AI means less demand for chips, less demand for data centers, less demand for power.—
Jon Markman,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The stories are sincerely hilarious.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 June 2026
-
Museums are sincerely trying to connect with their publics (even if these are often cast as consumers), and the horizon for that experiment is almost limitless.—
Katy Siegel,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Adverb
-
Draft the pitch and edit the newsletter so your plan lands plainly, and keep the tone upbeat.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
-
The Islamic Republic has always claimed that its domestic opponents were stooges of Israel and the United States, even when those charges were plainly implausible.—
Laura Secor,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
Adverb
-
The Knicks simply could not make a shot, missing 16 of their first 18 and each of their first 11 two-point attempts.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
-
Risk is not black-and-white; things are not simply safe or dangerous.—
Avni Trivedi,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Adverb
-
Foley has been the one board member who has forthrightly stood up for oversight and accountability on every key issue.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Coming off the ice, Malinin forthrightly congratulated the winner, Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, as if to communicate that Shaidorov won the prize from his own efforts, not from Malinin’s failure.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Ragnow, 30, retired abruptly during the summer, announcing his retirement on social media.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
-
First, don’t stop blood pressure medication on your own—that needs to be a conversation with your physician because some medications can cause a rebound effect when discontinued abruptly.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
12 June 2026
Adverb
-
But honestly, how much further down is there to go?—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
-
Both understood that describing the human condition honestly is a first step in confronting injustice.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straightforwardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straightforwardly. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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