STRAIGHTFORWARDLY Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

straightforwardly

adverb

as in openly

in an honest and direct manner straightforwardly yet compassionately, the doctor tells his cancer patients what their odds for survival are

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 straightforwardly Now, fresh off one of the most straightforwardly terrible albums of the decade, here comes the Muse Mothership again. — Liam Inscoe-Jones, Pitchfork, 1 July 2026 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 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 Perhaps the cleanest rebuke of noisy nativism would be for England to win, and, if Tuchel can take that final step that eluded Southgate, he’ll be immortalized, too—perhaps in a prestige miniseries of his own, and a more straightforwardly triumphal one at that. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 18 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 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straightforwardly

Adverb

Both of the soon-to-be newlyweds have talked openly about wanting to have kids.

— Bryan West, USA Today, 4 July 2026
On top of that, Kelce appeared on the cover of GQ magazine and spoke openly about his and Swift’s relationship for the first time with a major publication.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 3 July 2026

Definition of openly

Adverb

Through a layered and deeply nuanced performance, Cardellini transforms what could have been a straightforward femme fatale into a fiercely compelling protagonist.

— Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 8 June 2026
The mix’s seasoning veers straightforward and notably doesn’t list horseradish.

— Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Jan. 2026

Definition of straightforward

Adverb

Here was a government that had explicitly borrowed from Beijing’s developmental playbook and sincerely attempted to imitate it, but failed.

— Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
My favorite depictions of this city know its real history is too cuckoo to capture sincerely; straight reenactments make the production of 35mm masterpieces look as piddly as Shrinky Dinks.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of sincerely

Adverb

State plainly, and then prove with your decisions, that time freed by AI goes toward better work and growth rather than toward cuts.

— Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Yet everyone in the United States, lawfully or otherwise, is plainly subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

— Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 7 July 2026

Definition of plainly

Adverb

Goddard says simply closing the blinds or drapes during the day to keep the sun out can lower the temperature of upper floors.

— Kamron Sanders, The Spruce, 3 July 2026
To release it, simply pull it apart, combining the convenience of magnetic attachment with the confidence of a physical locking mechanism.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 July 2026

Definition of simply

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

Definition of forthrightly

Adverb

Amid the rebellion, Johnson canceled votes and abruptly sent lawmakers home ahead of the July 4 holiday.

— Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 7 July 2026
The much-ballyhooed heavyweight boxing match between Mike Tyson and Andrew Golota ends abruptly when Golota quits after the second round; later Golota is hospitalized with a concussion.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026

Definition of abruptly

Adverb

There's a mobile app (Android/iOS) and a desktop app (Windows only), but honestly, who wants more apps bloating their already bloated app ecosystem?

— Joe Salas July 07, New Atlas, 8 July 2026
There should honestly be a sequel parody of Twister where the storm chasers use tornados to cover up their kills.

— Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026

Definition of honestly

Cite this Entry

Style

“Straightforwardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straightforwardly. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of straightforwardly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

tacit

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes