outright

Everyday

1. Complete and total, with no doubt: «an outright winner», «an outright lie». tree →
2. (adverb) Openly and directly: «She told him outright». tree →
3. (adverb) Completely, at once: «He was killed outright»; «They bought the house outright» (paid all of it at once). tree →

In the lessons

In sport an outright winner wins clearly; in money talk to buy something outright means to pay the full price at once, with no loan. In stories it tells the reader something is plain and total. Phrases: «laugh outright», «refuse outright», «win outright».

Examples

• She was the outright winner of the race. tree →
• That's an outright lie! tree →
• He refused outright to eat the sprouts. tree →
• Alice laughed outright at the Gryphon. tree →
• (money) They paid for the car outright. tree →
• Ask her outright if she took it. tree →
• The team won the cup outright. tree →
• Everybody expected to see the boy killed outright. tree →

Note

Stress: OUT-right (adjective), out-RIGHT (adverb) is also heard. In maths «outright» can mean the full price paid in one go.