outright
outright Lexical Profile
outright Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Open and direct; not concealed, disguised, or mitigated.
"The committee's proposal was met with outright hostility from the local residents."
Total and unqualified; absolute or complete.
"She secured an outright majority in the first round of the parliamentary election."
• adverb
Openly and without restraint, hesitation, or concealment.
"When he heard the absurd excuse, he laughed outright."
Wholly and completely; not gradually or by installments.
"After years of renting, the family saved enough money to buy the house outright."
Immediately and on the spot; without delay.
"The board of directors rejected the merger proposal outright."
Word Nuance & Usage
As an adjective, 'outright' is used strictly in the attributive position (directly before a noun, as in 'an outright lie') and cannot be used predicatively after a linking verb.
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English around the 14th century as a compound of the adverbs 'out' and 'right', originally meaning 'straight out' or 'directly forward'.