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out-and-out
adjective
: being such completely at all times, in every way, or from every point of view
an out-and-out fraud
Synonyms
- 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
- outright
- perfect
- plumb
- profound
- pure
- rank
- regular
- sheer
- simple
- stark
- stone
- straight-out
- thorough
- thoroughgoing
- total
- unadulterated
- unalloyed
- unconditional
- unmitigated
- unqualified
- utter
- very
Examples of out-and-out in a Sentence
an out-and-out cheater at every game she plays
her story is not just an exaggeration, it's an out-and-out lie
mounted an out-and-out effort to find the lost child
Recent Examples on the Web
The overall vibe is Scandinavian chic, if not out-and-out luxury.
—Helen Iatrou, Travel + Leisure, 29 Dec. 2024
Unsurprisingly, Europe’s elite players show up well by this measure with out-and-out central strikers like Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane taking relatively few touches per shot with high-value shots taken.
—Michael Cox, The Athletic, 25 Dec. 2024
Avoid arguments, spats, disagreements, squabbles, and out-and-out fights as much as possible.
—Eli Amdur, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
Hsu had no problem playing an out-and-out villain for long stretches of that film, but her Ruby is more of an oblivious blabbermouth prone to shocking bouts of callousness, like failing to remember the names of people she’s inadvertently condemned to die.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 19 Dec. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1813, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near out-and-out
Cite this Entry
“Out-and-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/out-and-out. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
Kids Definition
out-and-out
adjectiveˌau̇t-ᵊn-ˈ(d)au̇t
: being exactly what is stated : complete, thoroughgoing
an out-and-out crook
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