as in honesty
the free expression of one's true feelings and opinions
his directness is much appreciated by his patients
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of directness
In the interim, entire scenes have absorbed her lessons about emotional directness without melodrama and club music that simultaneously thinks and feels, but often without matching her clarity or nerve.
—
Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 24 Mar. 2026
It was simply presented, with a split screen between the actor onstage and the casting director in the audience, and the directness of the actors’ messages came through both to the nominees and to viewers.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
Mangiapane appreciates the coach’s directness.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
That directness takes a distinct form in each artist’s practice.
—Miguel Sirgado, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for directness
Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 24 Mar. 2026
It was simply presented, with a split screen between the actor onstage and the casting director in the audience, and the directness of the actors’ messages came through both to the nominees and to viewers.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
Mangiapane appreciates the coach’s directness.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
That directness takes a distinct form in each artist’s practice.
—Miguel Sirgado, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for directness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for directness
Noun
-
That includes not wanting to help people through tactful honesty.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The Moon settles into your 4th House of Home, where honesty builds trust quickly.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Floyd’s sincerity, the startling extremity of his concern for the comfort of others, snaps Clark out of his depressed, and depressing, complacency.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
-
But as the left grows increasingly distrustful of big tech companies, progressives aren’t convinced of the moguls’ sincerity.—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Just as the story mines humor from the collision of old-fashioned ways with a modern frankness, Paul’s score combines the appeal of jaunty golden-age sounds with a freshness that feels present day.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Her love for the city is palpable, imbued with her frankness, her fun, her queerness, and her history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But the bluntness of the lyrics arrives just as quickly, undercutting the atmosphere by naming too plainly what the music had already begun to evoke with greater force.—
Emma Madden,
Pitchfork,
30 Apr. 2026
-
If someone tends to have more of a combative communication style, they might have been raised to see bluntness as just telling the truth.—
Nancy Pulciano,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
To say we are disappointed by the lack of urgency and forthrightness from the city attorney’s office is an understatement.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Fortune spoke with six people who have invested in Anthropic to get a sense of how this key constituency is feeling about the situation, and found that opinions were not unified despite the company’s longstanding forthrightness about its values.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Mary Gaitskill is particularly good at this ideal combination of straightforwardness and pithiness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Her question, in Lipe-Smith’s inquisitive piccolo of a voice, is heartbreaking in its blend of straightforwardness and desperate desire, as is her mother’s wavering response.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Kerr’s success is as rare as his candor.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The series will see Morgan engage in in-depth conversations with influential figures across sports, politics, global affairs, business, and culture, with his signature candor and incisive interviewing style.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Directness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/directness. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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