From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishoutrightout‧right1 /ˈaʊtraɪt/ ●○○ adjective [only before noun] 1 CLEAR/EASY TO UNDERSTANDclear and direct an outright refusal an outright attack on his actions2 COMPLETEcomplete and total an outright victory an outright ban on the sale of tobacco3 → the outright winner/victor
Examples from the Corpus
outright• Too bad the yarn is interwoven with illogic, inconsistency and outright balderdash.• Gandhi rejects outright claims made concerning the superior or inferior status of religions.• That will involve significant change from the separation, suspicion, and even outright confrontation that have existed for decades.• The point is to avoid outright confrontation.• It would, however, be incorrect to deduce that in the nineteenth century only outright deception was commented upon.• Only a handful of polls since Christmas have given either party the lead they would need to secure an outright majority.• his outright opposition to the proposal• This displeasure can range from mild disapproval to outright ostracism.• an outright trade banoutrightout‧right2 /aʊtˈraɪt/ adverb 1 SHOW A FEELING OR ATTITUDEclearly and directly, without trying to hide your feelings or intentions If she asked me outright, I’d tell her.2 COMPLETELYclearly and completely She won outright. They rejected the deal outright.3 → buy/own something outright4 IMMEDIATELYimmediately and without any delay The passenger was killed outright. They fired her outright.Examples from the Corpus
outright• Kahn needs 50% plus one vote to win the primary outright.• Most of the lawmakers rejected the idea outright.• But Dudaev would be foolish to spurn the offer outright.• Don Juan de Borbón reacted with a statement published on 7 April, in which he rejected Franco's proposals outright.• I mean she doesn't complain outright.• They laughed outright at my suggestion.• Two years later the itinerant returned to attack Garden outright for allowing laxity and not promoting the preaching of grace.• If the city buys tickets outright, however, it will save an average of $ 4 per ticket.• While they could scarcely challenge Rome outright, neither could they defend what they did not believe.• You can either buy outright, or join in a coop ownership scheme.• And the owner of the Red Sox sold him outright to New York.• He was killed outright when his car crashed at high speed.asked ... outright• What could I say, asked outright?• But you suggested I might have asked you outright for your - er - credentials.• He knew that if she asked outright, he would tell her.• She once asked him outright if he were homosexual.rejected ... outright• Federal courthouses receive thousands of such pleas each year from state prisoners; virtually all are rejected outright.• The Royal College of Nursing agreed to recommend it to their members, but the health unions rejected it outright.• Diplomatic negotiations were rejected outright as insufficiently forceful.• In November Fretilin offered the government unconditional peace talks, but the move was rejected outright by the government.• Yet his proposals were denounced in the provinces, delayed in the Duma and rejected outright in the State Council.• He rejected outright the idea that he was a special case.killed outright• A creature any larger, however, would likely be severely injured or killed outright.• Mrs Fanshawe was flung clear, the other two killed outright.• So how could a species slowly and randomly evolve the ability not to be killed outright?• The Joint Chiefs of Staff recommended last fall that the project be killed outright.• But by a miracle he had not been killed outright, and was saved.• Some had been killed outright by flying shrapnel, others had been badly wounded and had died slowly.• A total of 210 people were killed outright by the soldiers, another seventy-one died later and 173 were less seriously wounded.• Even if the prey is not killed outright, there is a greater chance that it will be incapacitated. 