down·right
ˈdau̇n-ˌrīt 
1
archaic
: straight down
2
: absolutely sense 1a
downright handsome
downright mean
3
obsolete
: forthright
Examples of downright in a Sentence
Adverb
The movie was downright stupid.
It's very difficult, if not downright impossible.
Adjective
rural folks are often known for their downright speech, as they are generally not ones to beat around the bush
that's a downright lie, and you know it
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2025
But anyone in the business of making predictions should be on edge: The rapid pace of change over just the last few weeks has created chaos and instability, rendering predictions for the next month, let alone the next year, downright reckless.
—Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Mike Feibus, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
Men have been rocking smaller watches in general and celebrities have really emphasized the trend by going even smaller with downright ultra-small watches that are, in some cases, straight-up women’s timepieces.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downright
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Adverb
Despite all the industry hype and genuine advances, generative AI models are still prone to odd, inexplicable, and downright worrisome quirks.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2025
But anyone in the business of making predictions should be on edge: The rapid pace of change over just the last few weeks has created chaos and instability, rendering predictions for the next month, let alone the next year, downright reckless.
—Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
So consumers’ tolerance may be tested by inevitable mistakes, misunderstandings and downright hallucinations.
—Mike Feibus, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
Men have been rocking smaller watches in general and celebrities have really emphasized the trend by going even smaller with downright ultra-small watches that are, in some cases, straight-up women’s timepieces.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downright
Cite this Entry
“Downright.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downright. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
downright
1 of 2 adverb
down·right
-ˌrīt
: in a complete and absolute manner
that was downright stupid
downright
2 of 2 adjective1
: absolute sense 3, utter
a downright lie
downrightly
adverb
downrightness
noun
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