frankly

adverb

frank·​ly ˈfraŋ-klē 

1

: in a frank manner

spoke frankly

2

: in truth : indeed

Frankly, I don't know.

Synonyms of frankly

• honestly
• actually
• really
• indeed

Examples of frankly in a Sentence

You can speak frankly to us.

frankly, I'd rather stay at home than go to the movies tonight

Recent Examples on the Web

Everyone has suggestions on what to do next, and frankly, Counsell seems ready to listen. — Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Republican House members were being asked to pay $25,000 for convention tickets and lodging, according to people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to speak frankly about the private arrangement. — Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026

Part of that was because, back then, there were fewer products, frankly. — Sophia Panych, Allure, 10 Sep. 2026

The whole thing, frankly, feels a lot like when my kids were little. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for frankly

• blankly

Kids Definition

frankly

adverb

frank·​ly ˈfraŋ-klē 

1

: in a frank manner

you can speak frankly to us

2

: to tell the truth

frankly, I don't think it's wise