adverb

• Without concealment, deception, or prevarication, especially where these might be expected; frankly or honestly.

  ‘a lecturer who had openly criticized the government’

  More example sentences

  • ‘To achieve this vision, we have to address areas of weakness honestly and openly.’
  • ‘We also think it is important that such an important issue is debated openly and honestly.’
  • ‘I do not want to live in a city which cannot celebrate its diversity openly and honestly.’
  • ‘One resident has claimed that drug dealing takes place openly near the police station.’
  • ‘They both broadly agreed with the police view that drugs were not dealt openly in the town.’
  • ‘Now we speak openly about things that our parents would blush to see in print.’
  • ‘I set great store by the fact that we live our lives openly, with as much honesty as possible at all times.’
  • ‘People are allowed to use drugs openly in the streets, prostitution is legal too.’
  • ‘The only way they will be beaten back into the shadows is if these issues are debated properly, and openly.’
  • ‘Many of them wept openly when he publicly renounced Tibet's claim to full independence.’
  • ‘Part of the privilege we have as Canadians is that we can express our beliefs openly.’
  • ‘Is it still right for women to enjoy this act of pleasure and talk about it openly.’
  • ‘Grown men and women cried openly as they swarmed on to the green sward of Croke Park.’
  • ‘He said his father had talked openly to the family about the asbestos dust he encountered at the factory.’
  • ‘Later, those who had openly led Russia and its leaders astray came up with a new tale.’
  • ‘Friends and relatives huddled at the end of the hall, teary-eyed or openly crying.’
  • ‘A group of Labour MSPs are now openly campaigning for ministers to relax their plans.’
  • ‘It seems that not to be openly against war is totally uncool at the moment!’
  • ‘He recognised early on in his writing career that he needed help and has openly sought help with his novels.’
  • ‘Elsewhere, industry stalwarts have begun to allege openly that churning is rife.’

  Synonyms

  publicly, in public, in full view of people, for all to see, undisguisedly, blatantly, flagrantly, brazenly, with no attempt at concealment, overtly, boldly, audaciously

  frankly, candidly, explicitly, honestly, truly, sincerely, forthrightly, directly, straightforwardly, bluntly, plainly, in plain language, unreservedly, without constraint, truthfully, without dissembling, to someone's face, straight from the shoulder, without beating about the bush, with no holds barred, man to man, woman to woman

  View synonyms