forthright
adjective · adverb
Simple meaning
Direct and honest in what you say.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fawrthrytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfɔɹθˈɹaɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Straightforward; not evasive; candid and direct.
Frank, outspoken.
Fixed; settled; decided.
Markedly simple.
adverb
Expressly, frankly, unhesitatingly.
At once, forthwith.
Swiftly.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Straightforward; not evasive; candid and direct.
Used this way, forthright is a reasonably familiar word that can pull warm or cold depending on the sentence. It comes across as direct, sometimes bluntly so.
- Emotional tone
- Mixed
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Direct, sometimes tactless
- Usage feel
- Blunt and forceful
Usage note
The same wording can read approvingly or critically, so the surrounding sentence has to make the intent clear.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: straightforward
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Collections with this word
Themed sets you can browse for free.
Use it yourself
Knowing “forthright” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.