downright
Americanadjective
-
thorough; absolute; out-and-out.
a downright falsehood.
-
frankly direct; straightforward.
a downright person.
- Synonyms:
- blunt, frank, open, forthright, candid
-
Archaic. directed straight downward.
a downright blow.
adverb
adjective
-
frank or straightforward; blunt
downright speech
-
archaic directed or pointing straight down
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of downright
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at down 1, right
Explanation
The adjective downright is used to emphasize something, or to mean "utterly." For example, you could say that your brother's loud and junky old car is a downright embarrassment. Downright works as an adjective or adverb, so you can describe your dad's brownies as downright delicious, your sister's terrible jokes as downright awful, or your loss of the spelling bee as a downright disgrace. In the thirteenth century, downright meant "straight down," but it had changed by 1300, to instead mean "thoroughly."
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.
Next to that show’s glittering costumes, huge cast and massive props arsenal, Sheepstealer and his fellow dragons seem downright reasonable.
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
Saturday night was just the final chapter of the most unlikely, unhinged and downright unbelievable playoff run in basketball history—a collection of spectacular streaks and last-second comebacks to cast aside decades of heartbreak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
They may be dignified or downright quirky and playfully no big deal, just a here-we-go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
"I've gotten used to it, but before, at the beginning, it was downright stressful."
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
When he had finished telling them what he had seen, Ron looked appalled, but Hermione downright terrified.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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.
