directness

noun

di·​rect·​ness də-ˈrek(t)-nəs 

dī-

1

: the character of being accurate in course or aim

2

: strict pertinence : straightforwardness

her directness was disarming

—Robin Cook

Synonyms

• bluntness
• candidness
• candor
• forthrightness
• frankness
• honesty
• openheartedness
• openness
• outspokenness
• plainness
• plainspokenness
• plumpness
• straightforwardness
• unguardedness
• unreserve
• unreservedness

Examples of directness in a Sentence

his directness is much appreciated by his patients

Recent Examples on the Web

The supreme irony here is that Orwell’s greatest virtue as a writer was his directness and clarity. —Sean Illing, Vox, 11 Aug. 2024

Tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran in April, unprecedented in their directness, threaten to turn the long-standing shadow war between the two countries into outright military confrontation. —Lloyd Axworthy, Foreign Affairs, 15 May 2024

March 9: Mercury enters Aries, adding power and directness to our words. —Lisa Stardust, refinery29.com, 18 Feb. 2024

But since his appointment as Spain’s manager in 2022, de la Fuente transformed its style, injecting pace and directness on the wings through Yamal on the right and 22-year-old Nico Williams on the left. —Alex Tabet, NBC News, 13 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1