outright

USAGE SUMMARY

The word 'outright' is correct and can be used in written English.
It is an adverb meaning 'completely' or 'unconditionally' and can be used in many different kinds of sentences. For example: He refused to accept the offer outright.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"But the electoral reality is that we will not win outright Conservative majorities until we start attracting more of the ethnic vote".

The Guardian

Above all, Hungary's vote shows that the extremist, outright racist right is not weakened, but in fact emboldened by such an approach.

The Guardian - Opinion

These passions have always been there, lurking; what's new is the outright shamelessness of their display.

The Guardian

But she said the outright denial was exacerbated at Chicago's secretive interrogation and holding facility: "It's very, very rare for anyone to experience their constitutional rights in Chicago police custody, and even more so at Homan Square," Solowiej said.

The Guardian

And I am still uneasy about the outright inventions in The Imitation Game, particularly its fantasy about Turing's supposed connection with the "fifth man" John Cairncross.

The Guardian - Film

It is confident of winning a handful of seats outright.

The Guardian

If economics is now skipped over quickly and the health service is an outright taboo, the old Cameron confidence still shines through on the two subjects he focused on.

The Guardian - Opinion

Tsvangirai became prime minister in a coalition government and believed he could win outright this time.

The Guardian

When Facebook's published its requests data, the general counsel, Ted Ullyot, wrote: "We aggressively protect our users' data when confronted with such requests: we frequently reject such requests outright, or require the government to substantially scale down its requests, or simply give the government much less data than it has requested".

The Guardian - Tech

At the last election in 2010, Cameron – the first Tory leader since the 1960s to be educated at Eton college and Oxford University, an upper-class combination somewhat comparable to the Ivy League – successfully ousted Labour after 13 years of Blair and then Gordon Brown, but his 306 seats to Labour's 258 left him 20 short of an outright majority.

The Guardian

Boats are occasionally owned outright, but more often are subject to loans, or are the direct asset of another person in the village.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "outright" to emphasize the completeness or lack of reservation in a statement. For instance, "I reject that claim outright" conveys a stronger denial than simply saying "I reject that claim."

Common error

Avoid using "outright" merely as an intensifier without adding specific meaning. Instead of saying "That's an outright good idea", which is vague, specify the kind of 'good' intended: "That's a completely innovative idea" or "That's a thoroughly practical idea".

Linguistic Context

"Outright" functions primarily as an adverb and adjective modifying verbs and nouns, respectively. As Ludwig AI confirms, it denotes actions or states performed completely, directly, or without reservation. Examples include "reject outright" and "outright lie".

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

54%

Formal & Business

25%

Science

21%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "outright" functions as an adverb, adjective, and verb, primarily used to emphasize completeness, directness, or lack of reservation. Ludwig AI validates its grammatical correctness and wide applicability across various contexts. Predominantly found in News & Media and Formal & Business domains, it serves to underscore the certainty or decisiveness of a statement. To ensure clarity, avoid using "outright" as a mere intensifier and instead, specify the intended meaning. Understanding these nuances helps in effectively employing "outright" to enhance communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

completely

Indicates a state of being total or absolute, similar to the "outright" sense of completeness.

entirely

Emphasizes the whole extent or degree, mirroring the "outright" meaning of thoroughness.

totally

Implies a full or absolute degree, comparable to the "outright" notion of absoluteness.

unreservedly

Highlights the absence of limitations or hesitations, akin to the "outright" sense of being without reservation.

unequivocally

Stresses the lack of ambiguity or doubt, paralleling the "outright" implication of clarity.

unconditionally

Signifies without conditions or limitations, reflecting the "outright" aspect of being absolute.

directly

Indicates acting without intermediary, related to the "outright" sense of immediacy.

instantly

Emphasizes immediate action or occurrence, echoing the "outright" meaning of immediacy.

immediately

Highlights the lack of delay, similar to the "outright" implication of promptness.

blatantly

Stresses obvious and unashamed action, akin to the "outright" connotation of being overt.

FAQs

How to use "outright" in a sentence?

Use "outright" to express completeness, directness, or lack of reservation. For example, "The proposal was an "outright success"", or "She rejected the suggestion "outright"".

What can I say instead of "outright"?

You can use alternatives like "completely", "totally", "entirely", or "unreservedly" depending on the specific context.

Which is correct, "outright rejection" or "complete rejection"?

Both "outright rejection" and "complete rejection" are correct, but "outright rejection" emphasizes a more immediate and decisive refusal, while "complete rejection" simply focuses on the thoroughness of the refusal.

What's the difference between "outright" and "explicit"?

"Outright" often implies completeness or immediacy, while "explicit" emphasizes clarity and directness of expression. Something can be an "outright" lie, meaning completely false, or an "explicit" instruction, meaning clearly stated.