straight-ahead
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of straight-ahead
First recorded in 1830–40
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was not a musician himself but he loved jazz — straight-ahead and Dixieland — and swing most of all.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2025
On exploring her gender identity, Lorde says she felt "so trapped and so tight in this very kind of straight-ahead femininity."
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2025
She has also been accused of cultural appropriation for recording straight-ahead salsa tunes — an unfair accusation to this writer, considering that she is a dedicated student and collector of Afro-Caribbean music.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2025
He thought a straight-ahead Louisiana-style one, made with the traditional holy trinity of onion, bell pepper and celery, would make a good home for her Lao sausage, and he could not be more correct.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 26, 2023
I peel off Andy Warhol’s banana sticker and put on the good, thumping, straight-ahead rock and roll.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
