forthright
English
editEtymology 1
editFrom Middle English forþright, forþriʒt, forþriht, from Old English forþriht (“direct, plain”); equivalent to forth + right.
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfɔːθˌɹaɪt/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /ˈfɔɹθˌɹaɪt/
Adjective
editforthright (comparative more forthright, superlative most forthright)
- Straightforward; not evasive; candid and direct.
- The witness was considered eminently credible thanks to her forthright answers.
- Frank, outspoken.
- 2022 April 6, “Network News: Spring Statement: Sunak accused of making rail less competitive”, in RAIL, number 954, page 8:
- TSSA General Secretary Manuel Cortes was typically forthright in his criticism by claiming that Sunak had "blatantly failed" to cure "a growing tragedy", as "every single day, more and more families can't make ends meet".
- Markedly simple.
- Fixed; settled; decided.
- (archaic) Proceeding straight forth.
Derived terms
editTranslations
editstraightforward; not evasive
|
frank, outspoken
Noun
editforthright (plural forthrights)
- (archaic) A straight path.
- 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
- Gonzalo: […] Here's a maze trod indeed / Through forth-rights and meanders !
Etymology 2
editFrom Middle English forthright, forþriʒt, forthricte, from Old English forþrihte (“straightway, at once, plainly”), from forþriht + -e (“adverbial suffix”).
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /fɔːθˈɹaɪt/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Adverb
editforthright (comparative more forthright, superlative most forthright)
- Expressly, frankly, unhesitatingly.
- At once, forthwith.
- Swiftly.
- (archaic) Straight forward, in a straight direction.
References
edit- “forthright”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “forthright”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English compound terms
- English 2-syllable words
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- English lemmas
- English adjectives
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