Outright means completely, totally, and without holding back. When you tell an outright lie, you make something up entirely rather than bending the truth or leaving something out. When someone makes an outright refusal, they're saying “no” clearly and firmly, with no room for maybe.

The word suggests being direct and absolute. If you win a game outright, you won decisively, not by a technicality or a tiebreaker. If you buy something outright, you pay the full price immediately rather than making payments over time. When a teacher makes an outright mistake on the board, it's completely wrong, not just slightly off.

You can also use outright to describe immediate actions: laughing outright means bursting into laughter right away, not holding it back or trying to hide it. Sometimes the word carries a hint of boldness or even shock, like when someone makes an outright accusation instead of hinting at something indirectly.

The opposite of outright would be partly, gradually, or hesitantly. When something happens outright, it happens all at once and all the way.