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

Leaders in the field of women’s health have praised her directness and see it as a welcome change from Biden’s wavering stance. —The Editors, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2024

Some readers might react to such justifications with skepticism, but Witt’s directness and sincerity are disarming. —Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1