straightforward
Americanadjective
-
going or directed straight ahead.
a straightforward gaze.
-
not roundabout or evasive; direct.
straightforward criticism;
a straightforward approach to a problem.
-
free from ambiguity; clear.
straightforward instructions.
-
free from crookedness or deceit; honest.
straightforward in one's dealings.
- Antonyms:
- devious
adverb
adjective
-
(of a person) honest, frank, or simple
-
(of a task, etc) simple; easy
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of straightforward
Explanation
Straightforward means direct in your approach. When you have a favor to ask of a friend, don't beat around the bush––say what you need in a straightforward way. If you want to propose marriage, you might go for the straightforward approach, saying, "Want to get married?" over dinner. Straightforward can also mean honest. If you have straightforward intentions, it means you're upfront about what you're trying to do.
Vocabulary lists containing straightforward
Nothing But the Truth
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And Then There Were None
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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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.
It said the changes would "mean fewer straightforward cases need to wait for laboratory results, giving farmers an answer sooner and helping them take quicker action to protect livestock".
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
But it turns out that determining the optimal amount of AI usage for each employee isn’t a straightforward question.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
For the French Riviera, the lesson is straightforward: an alert is valuable, but knowing where to go can be just as important.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
Based on the evidence, my answer should be straightforward: Don’t bother with the whole-body MRI scan.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
The straightforward example of the discovery of the moons of Jupiter shows that these claims are superficially plausible, but mistaken.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
