straightforward

1. 1
   adjective

   Easy to do or understand; simple and uncomplicated, with nothing to cause difficulty.

   The repair was straightforward and took less than an hour.

   Filing the application is a straightforward process with no complicated steps.

   Similarsimple, easy, uncomplicated, clear-cut, painless

   Oppositecomplicated, complex, difficult, tricky

   Note

   Here the straightness lies in the doing: nothing stands in the way and there is no twist to work around. The word describes tasks, designs and contests rather than people. P. Ransome-Wallis praises German locomotives "of straightforward design" (1960), and Daniel Taylor's 2013 match report has Poland refusing to make England's night straightforward. Applied to a person, the word shifts to the "frank" meaning.

2. 2
   adjectivefiguratively

   Direct, frank, and sincere; honest in manner and speech, without evasion.

   She is admired for being straightforward, even when the truth is hard to hear.

   His straightforward manner put the nervous interviewee at ease.

   Similarfrank, direct, sincere, honest, candid

   Oppositeevasive, devious, dishonest, deceitful

   Note

   The figurative straightness belongs to honesty here: a frank speaker takes no detours, which is why evasion is pictured as dancing away. George J. Church uses that image in Time (1992) for Clinton and "straightforward yes or no answers." Unvarnished is a close neighbor. With answer or explanation, the word can lean toward the "easy" meaning, and context decides whether an answer was candid or merely simple.

3. 3
   adjective

   Moving or going in a straight course, without turning or deviating from the line.

   The arrow's straightforward flight carried it directly to the target.

   He kept a straightforward path through the field, not deviating once.

   Similardirect, undeviating, unswerving, straight

   Oppositewinding, indirect, meandering, circuitous

   Note

   The literal sense shows the compound plainly: straight plus forward, a course that keeps to its line. The "easy" meaning and the "frank" meaning are figurative extensions of it. Speakers still feel the parts, and they occasionally compare the word from the inside, as in straighterforward and straightestforward. These forms are rare, and more straightforward and most straightforward remain the safe choice.

4. 4
   adverb

   In a direct, honest, or uncomplicated manner, without deviation or evasion.

   She spoke straightforward, leaving no doubt about her opinion.

   Drive straightforward until you reach the bridge.

   Similardirectly, straight, frankly, plainly, candidly

   Oppositeevasively, indirectly

   Note

   This is a flat adverb: it uses the adjective's form unchanged, as in drive straightforward until you reach the bridge. It has two suffixed rivals, straightforwards and straightforwardly. The -ly form is usual in formal writing. The bare form survives mainly in casual speech and in giving directions, where it keeps the literal idea of going straight ahead.

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