frankly

English

Etymology

From frank +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɹæŋkli/
• Hyphenation: frank‧ly

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adverb

frankly (comparative franklier or more frankly, superlative frankliest or most frankly)

2. In a frank or candid manner, especially in a way that may seem too open, excessively honest, or slightly blunt.

   speak frankly

   He spoke frankly about the economy.

   • 1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter III (Accessory After the Fact), page 382, column 2:

     She was frankly disappointed. For some reason she had expected to discover a burglar of one or another accepted type—either a dashing cracksman in full-blown evening dress, lithe, polished, pantherish, or a common yegg, a red-eyed, unshaven, burly brute in the rags and tatters of a tramp.

4. (sentence adverb) In truth, to tell the truth.

   Most of what they said was, frankly, a pack of lies.

   • 1939, Gone with the Wind‎^[1], spoken by Rhett Butler (Clark Gable):

     Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

6. (sciences, medicine) To a degree large enough as to be plainly evident.

   Coordinate terms: evidently, obviously, apparently, macroscopically, grossly, greatly, palpably

   frankly septic

   frankly psychotic

Synonyms

• (manner): candidly, forthcomingly, honestly, truthfully; bluntly; see also Thesaurus:honestly
• (sentence adverb): as a matter of fact, to be frank, truth to tell; see also Thesaurus:actually

Translations

in a frank, open or (too) honest manner

• Belarusian: шчы́ра (ščýra), адкры́та (adkrýta), пра́ма (práma), чэ́сна (čésna)
• Bulgarian: и́скрено (bg) (ískreno), открове́но (bg) (otkrovéno), пря́мо (bg) (prjámo), че́стно (bg) (čéstno)
• Danish: ærligt talt
• Dutch: ronduit (nl)
• Esperanto: malkaŝe
• Estonian: otse
• Finnish: suoraan (fi), suorapuheisesti, sanalla sanottuna
• French: franchement (fr)
• Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌰𐌱𐌰 (balþaba)
• Greek: ειλικρινά (el) (eilikriná)
• Hungarian: magyarán (hu)
• Italian: francamente (it)
• Japanese: 正直に (ja) (しょうじきに, shōjiki ni)
• Korean: 솔직히 (ko) (soljikhi)
• Macedonian: искрено (iskreno)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: beint fram

  Nynorsk: beintfram

• Polish: szczerze (pl), bez ogródek (pl)
• Portuguese: francamente (pt)
• Russian: пря́мо (ru) (prjámo), откры́то (ru) (otkrýto), открове́нно (ru) (otkrovénno), и́скренне (ru) (ískrenne), че́стно (ru) (čéstno)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: и̏скрено

  Roman: ȉskreno (sh)

• Spanish: francamente (es)
• Ukrainian: щи́ро (ščýro), відве́рто (vidvérto), пря́мо (prjámo), че́сно (čésno)
• Volapük: stedäliko, stedälo (vo)

(sentence adverb) In truth, to tell the truth

• Azerbaijani: sözün düzü, sözün açığı
• Finnish: suoraan sanoen, suoraan sanottuna, totta puhuakseni, jos totta puhutaan, sanalla sanottuna, sanalla sanoen
• German: ehrlich gesagt (de), um ehrlich zu sein
• Indonesian: sejujurnya
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ærlig talt, oppriktig talt

  Nynorsk: ærleg talt

• Polish: szczerze (pl)
• Portuguese: francamente (pt)
• Russian: че́стно говоря́ (ru) (čéstno govorjá)
• Swedish: ärligt talat