STRAIGHTFORWARD

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does straightforward mean? 

• STRAIGHTFORWARD (adjective)
  The adjective STRAIGHTFORWARD has 4 senses:

1. free from ambiguity

2. without evasion or compromise

3. without concealment or deception; honest

4. pointed directly ahead

  Familiarity information: STRAIGHTFORWARD used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• STRAIGHTFORWARD (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Free from ambiguity

Context example:

a straightforward set of instructions

Similar:

unambiguous; unequivocal; univocal (admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion)

Derivation:

straightforwardness (the quality of being direct and straightforward)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Without evasion or compromise

Synonyms:

square; straight; straightforward

Context example:

he is not being as straightforward as it appears

Similar:

direct (straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action)

Derivation:

straightforwardness (without hypocrisy)

straightforwardness (the quality of being direct and straightforward)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Without concealment or deception; honest

Synonyms:

aboveboard; straightforward

Context example:

straightforward in all his business affairs

Similar:

square; straight (characterized by honesty and fairness)

Derivation:

straightforwardness (the quality of being direct and straightforward)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Pointed directly ahead

Context example:

a straightforward gaze

Similar:

direct (direct in spatial dimensions; proceeding without deviation or interruption; straight and short)

 Context examples 

What this suggests to us is that swapping mitochondria might not be as straightforward as just changing the batteries in a device.

(Interplay between mitochondria and the nucleus may have implications for changing cell’s ‘batteries’, University of Cambridge)

Finding which gene is targeted by these variants is not straightforward.

(Detailed genetic study provides most comprehensive map of risk to date of breast cancer risk, University of Cambridge)

A straightforward, open-hearted man like Weston, and a rational, unaffected woman like Miss Taylor, may be safely left to manage their own concerns.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Killing a cancer cell is straightforward: there are many toxic molecules that can perform the task.

(Scientists successfully deliver “Trojan horse” catalysts into cancerous tumour cells to destroy them from within, Universities of Granada)

Researchers have long believed that the way the level of salt inside our bodies is controlled is fairly straightforward: when levels are too high, our brains are stimulated to make us thirsty.

(How the body regulates salt levels, NIH)

The Wi-Fi Alliance said it "could be resolved through a straightforward software update."

(Digital security researchers publicly reveal vulnerability in WPA2 WiFi protocol, Wikinews)

It's really refreshing to see a sensible, straightforward girl, who can be jolly and kind without making a fool of herself.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

However, isolating CD8 T- cells and obtaining the genetic signature was not straightforward, making the test unlikely to be scaleable and achieve widespread use.

(New prognostic test could enable personalised treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, University of Cambridge)

In addition, as understanding of the honey bee’s relatively straightforward microbiome increases, the ARS researchers are hopeful that bees may offer an excellent model in which to study the much more complex microbiome of other species including humans.

(Species Shifts in the Honey Bee Microbiome Differ with Age and Hive Role, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

He always speaks to the purpose; open, straightforward, and very well judging.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)