forthright

[ adjective noun fawrth-rahyt, fohrth-; adverb fawrth-rahyt, fohrth-, fawrth-rahyt, fohrth- ]

adjective

1. going straight to the point; frank; direct; outspoken:

   It's sometimes difficult to be forthright and not give offense.

2. proceeding in a straight course; direct; straightforward:

   a forthright glance.

adverb

1. straight or directly forward; in a direct or straightforward manner:

   He told us forthright just what his objections were.

2. straightaway; at once; immediately:

   He saw forthright that such an action was folly.

noun

1. Archaic. a straight course or path.

forthright

adjective

1. direct and outspoken

adverb

1. in a direct manner; frankly
2. at once

Derived Forms

• ˈforthˌrightness, noun

Other Words From

• forthrightness noun
• un·forthright adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of forthright¹

before 1000; Middle English; Old English forthrihte. See forth, right

Example Sentences

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Biles was forthright about the toll her sport had taken on her.

From Quartz

The goal is to make some quick money dancing at strip clubs, which seems forthright enough.

From Time

Instead, it combines a forthright declaration of the facts about what the candidate actually supports on policing with a refusal to retreat on discussing systemic racism.

From Washington Post

They are being much less forthright, though, when it comes to asking users for their consent and presenting transparent information.

From Digiday

You would like to think McDermott, who has shown remorse and been more forthright than most of his peers would be, truly did make what he called “an awful mistake.”

From Washington Post

Well, McConnell made Romney look like an ironman of forthright constancy.

From The Daily Beast

If anything, that seemed to encourage him to be even more forthright on Twitter.

From The Daily Beast

Nobody else was as forthright with me about this touchy topic.

From The Daily Beast

But, he said with a grimace, “I do judge by my meetings with people how forthright they are.”

From The Daily Beast

It is customary for political campaigns to keep their most forthright views in-house.

From The Daily Beast

Yet he often wrote with a forthright power, naked and unadorned, which could dispense with the aid of literary artifices.

From Project Gutenberg

Then the guards 434 entered and told the Sultan, who bade bring them before him forthright into the Divan.

From Project Gutenberg

When it did, he pulled up short in his stride, as if he had come physically against some forthright obstruction.

From Project Gutenberg

But when his hand touched that upon which his head had been resting he cried out suddenly and struggled forthright to his feet.

From Project Gutenberg

Any article I may put to its forthright use in actuality becomes an idyllic toy when I find it in the Back of a magazine.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• blunt
• candid
• categorical
• outspoken
• plainspoken
• sincere