forthright

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

See more synonyms for forthright on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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 Also forth·right·ly.

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

Archaic. a straight course or path.

Origin of forthright

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

Related formsforth·right·ness, nounun·forth·right, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for forthright

categorical, sincere, outspoken, candid, blunt, aboveboard, bald, direct, directly, forward, frank, open, plain, real, simple, straight, undisguised

Examples from the Web for forthright

Contemporary Examples of forthright

Well, McConnell made Romney look like an ironman of forthright constancy.
The Amazingly Two-Faced Mitch McConnell
Michael Tomasky
October 15, 2014
Nobody else was as forthright with me about this touchy topic.
Reading Prison Novels In Prison
Daniel Genis
May 24, 2014
But, he said with a grimace, “I do judge by my meetings with people how forthright they are.”
Obama Judicial Pick Grilled By Senate Democrats
Patricia Murphy
May 13, 2014
It is customary for political campaigns to keep their most forthright views in-house.
Is Britain’s Tea Party Turning Politics Upside Down?
Nico Hines
April 30, 2014
Over lunch in a Toronto café, she proved sharp, funny, forthright, and unassuming.
Three Cheers for Alice Munro’s Nobel Prize in Literature
Malcolm Jones
October 10, 2013

Historical Examples of forthright

Hope you won't think I didn't play soundly, but it's not a forthright game.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
A man should not be able to look other than directly and forthright.
Essays, Second Series
Ralph Waldo Emerson
All that he did was forthright, manly, single-purposed, and unhesitating.
The Eagle's Heart
Hamlin Garland
By the reins the horse he tethered, and went to them forthright.
The Lay of the Cid
R. Selden Rose
He was forthright and masterful and inclined to talk to her from a height.
The Adventures of Sally
P. G. Wodehouse

British Dictionary definitions for forthright

forthright

adjective (ˈfɔːθˌraɪt)

direct and outspoken

adverb (ˌfɔːθˈraɪt, ˈfɔːθˌraɪt) forthrightly

in a direct manner; frankly
at once

Derived Formsforthrightness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for forthright

adj.

Old English forðriht "direct, plain;" see forth + right. Related: Forthrightly; forthrightness.