up-front

adjective

ˌəp-ˈfrənt How to pronounce up-front (audio)
Definition of up-frontnext
as in outspoken
free in expressing one's true feelings and opinions some hurt feelings could have been spared if he'd been more up-front about whom he was inviting to the party

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 up-front Solar has long carried an up-front cost that many individuals and businesses can’t afford, especially in emerging economies where borrowing costs can be higher. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026 Although designing chips is expensive up-front, the potential efficiency and economic advantages of having an in-house design that your models are optimized for may well outweigh the costs. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026 Many of the best luxury cruise lines offer all-inclusive packages that include everything from drinks and Wi-Fi to select port excursions, and sometimes even flights and transfers to the ship in one up-front cost. — Megan Dubois, Southern Living, 22 July 2026 Then there is the retrieval camp, which finds up-front modeling too slow and bets on the model instead. — Michael Leone, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for up-front
Recent Examples of Synonyms for up-front
  1. outspoken
  2. honest
  3. candid
  4. frank
  5. straightforward
  6. forthcoming
  7. forthright
Adjective
  • Ruffalo has long been outspoken about his opposition to the merger.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In his final years, Haring created powerful political imagery and was a particularly outspoken advocate for safe sex and AIDS awareness.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of outspoken
Adjective
  • Ask each business owner to absorb the run-rate at renewal, and the honest answer arrives faster than any dashboard.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Each episode, the brutally honest Ramsay comes in to help the struggling restaurant fix its problems or its negative image, and in turn the restaurants get publicity from being on a national television show.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of honest
Adjective
  • Development comes from coaching, candid feedback, stretch assignments and leaders willing to take thoughtful risks on people.
    — Michael Londgren, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Next month, audiences will get a candid look at Holmes in the 34 days before her incarceration in You Can See Everything, which sees Fielder and a film crew move in with Holmes and her husband.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of candid
Adjective
  • Glimcher was unusually frank at the time about the thinking behind the changes.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The accounts Kramer and Schmelling collected are often frank about the reality of living in the communes.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of frank
Adjective
  • The beginning of Between Worlds functions as a kind of prelude, offering a straightforward primer on Said.
    — Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026
  • That makes the result interesting, but also means the run should not be treated as a straightforward test of how well an AI can navigate an unmodified commercial game world.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of straightforward
Adjective
  • The forthcoming vision statement puts a particular emphasis on metascience, an area of study that has received wider government attention in recent years.
    — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Notably, the latest announcement did not clearly establish how much of the forthcoming release would be additional to earlier commitments.
    — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of forthcoming
Adjective
  • Some outsiders were even more forthright with their skepticism.
    — Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • One issue with tallying them is that the Pentagon has been less than forthright about many aspects of the conflict.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of forthright

Browse Nearby Words

upends
up-front
upgrade
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Cite this Entry

“Up-front.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/up-front. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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