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.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for forthright

Well, McConnell made Romney look like an ironman of forthright constancy.
The Amazingly Two-Faced Mitch McConnell|Michael Tomasky|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nobody else was as forthright with me about this touchy topic.
Reading Prison Novels In Prison|Daniel Genis|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
A man should not be able to look other than directly and forthright.
Essays, Second Series|Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hollister was all for swift and forthright action, deeds done in the open.
The Hidden Places|Bertrand W. Sinclair
This forthright exposition of official English attitudes reiterated the policy of colonial economic dependence.
Contributions From the Museum of History and Technology|Ivor Noel Hume
Mrs. Stanton's interest in woman's rights and her forthright, clear thinking made an instant appeal.
Susan B. Anthony|Alma Lutz
The intensely interesting thing about Culhane was this different, very original and forthright if at times brutal point of view.
Twelve Men|Theodore Dreiser

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

forthright

adj.

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

forthright

adjective

adverb Also forth·right·ly.

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of forthright

Examples from the Web for forthright

forthright

adjective (ˈfɔːθˌraɪt)

adverb (ˌfɔːθˈraɪt, ˈfɔːθˌraɪt) forthrightly

forthright