forthright
Americanadjective
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going straight to the point; frank; direct; outspoken.
It's sometimes difficult to be forthright and not give offense.
-
proceeding in a straight course; direct; straightforward.
a forthright glance.
adverb
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straight or directly forward; in a direct or straightforward manner.
He told us forthright just what his objections were.
-
straightaway; at once; immediately.
He saw forthright that such an action was folly.
noun
adjective
adverb
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in a direct manner; frankly
-
at once
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of forthright
before 1000; Middle English; Old English forthrihte. See forth, right
Explanation
When a person is being forthright, they're being direct, clear, or even straight-up. The opposite of forthright might be evasive, shifty, indirect, or circuitous. But we're not here to talk about those. We're here to talk about forthright. For the most part, people really appreciate it when others are forthright. It's so much easier to understand what someone wants when they just come out and say it. However, being direct and honest and saying what you really mean isn't easy for everyone. For some reason, a lot of us can be embarrassed to say what we want, and we spend our entire lives learning how to be forthright. A simple way to remember what forthright means is this: if you bring it "forth," it will be "right."
Vocabulary lists containing forthright
The Things They Carried
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for October 3–9, 2020
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This Week in Words: August 6 - 10, 2018
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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.
Either McCluskie successfully deceived both Becerra and Williamson with conflicting narratives about the arrangement’s legitimacy, or one party is being less than forthright about their knowledge and involvement in the scheme.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
It is unusual for a senior figure at the Bank to be so forthright on market movements.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
But she did blame the Defense Department for not being more forthright about when and how the fighting would end.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
‘Humanize me a little,” says the petite woman in a cashmere sweater at the end of a forthright, occasionally spiky interview.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
“I had a very forthright conversation with Ambassador Kennedy about it. She wasn’t sent. She insisted on supervising the trip.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
