out·right
ˌau̇t-ˈrīt 
1
: in entirety : completely
rejected the proposal outright
outright refuses to cooperate with law enforcement—
Tim Murphy
Tim Murphy2
: on the spot : instantaneously
was killed outright
3
: without lien (see lien sense 1) or encumbrance (see encumbrance sense 2)
purchased the property outright for cash
4
: without restraint or reservation
laughed outright
cried outright
5
archaic
: straight ahead : directly
out·right
ˈau̇t-ˌrīt
1
a
: being completely or exactly what is stated
an outright lie
b
: given without reservation
outright grants for research
c
: made without encumbrance or lien
an outright sale
2
archaic
: proceeding directly onward
outrightly
adverb
Synonyms
Adjective
- absolute
- all-out
- arrant
- blank
- blooming [chiefly British]
- bodacious [Southern & Midland]
- categorical
- categoric
- clean
- complete
- consummate
- crashing
- damn
- damned
- dead
- deadly
- definite
- downright
- dreadful
- fair
- flat
- flat-out
- out-and-out
- perfect
- plumb
- profound
- pure
- rank
- regular
- sheer
- simple
- stark
- stone
- straight-out
- thorough
- thoroughgoing
- total
- unadulterated
- unalloyed
- unconditional
- unmitigated
- unqualified
- utter
- very
Examples of outright in a Sentence
Adverb
She won the competition outright.
The painting is now owned outright by the museum.
Their house was destroyed outright by the fire.
I bought the car outright.
Adjective
I was surprised by their outright rejection of the idea.
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
Trump's voters shared a more political sense of grievance, a conviction that they had been sidelined, if not outright ignored, by recent presidents of both parties.
—Ron Elving, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025
Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2025
Bezos also stopped short of an outright Trump endorsement last year.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for outright 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adverb
Though neither party ever said outright what their feud was about, the pair exchanged fairly direct and outright targeted comments on social media and in interviews.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
Trump's voters shared a more political sense of grievance, a conviction that they had been sidelined, if not outright ignored, by recent presidents of both parties.
—Ron Elving, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Like tariffs, tighter immigration policies — or outright deportations — are typically enacted to protect the domestic economy (among other reasons).
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2025
Bezos also stopped short of an outright Trump endorsement last year.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for outright
Dictionary Entries Near outright
Cite this Entry
“Outright.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outright. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
outright
1 of 2 adverb
out·right
(ˈ)au̇t-ˈrīt
1
a
: in entirety : completely
sold outright
b
: without holding back
laughed outright
2
: on the spot : instantaneously
killed outright
outright
2 of 2 adjective
out·right
ˈau̇t-ˌrīt
1
: being exactly what is stated
an outright lie
2
: given without restriction
an outright gift
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share