outspoken
Americanadjective
-
uttered or expressed with frankness or without reserve.
outspoken criticism.
-
free or unreserved in speech.
- Antonyms:
- taciturn
verb
adjective
-
candid or bold in speech
-
said or expressed with candour or boldness
Related Words
See frank 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of outspoken
Explanation
If you often freely speak your mind, people may say that you are outspoken. How people view that particular trait in you, however, will depend on whether they agree with what you have to say or not! Use the adjective outspoken to describe someone candid and blunt, one who is direct in manner or speech. If you are an outspoken advocate for arts education in schools, you probably attend lots of school board and community meetings trying to ensure that the board does not cut music and drama from the school curriculum. If you are an outspoken critic of the way your boss does his job, you may not have yours much longer!
Vocabulary lists containing outspoken
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 3
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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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.
Some of the most outspoken criticisms of DOJ’s conduct have come from very conservative Republican-appointed judges.
From Slate • May 12, 2026
Strategy has resumed stocking up on bitcoin after a brief pause, and the company’s outspoken CEO has no qualms about saying who’s paying for it — the company’s shareholders.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
O’Neill is an outspoken supporter of research into the controversial field of anti-aging medicine, with some promising therapies and proposed treatments that are nonetheless plagued by pseudoscience and misleading claims.
From Salon • May 7, 2026
“There are many in D.C. that are not looking for an outspoken, innovative disrupter to be the nation’s doctor,” Means said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
It was held in a huge church, which seemed strange considering Kerry was an outspoken atheist, but that part I could understand.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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.
