OPENLY Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

openly

adverb

Definition of openly

as in freely

in a direct and honest way; without hiding feelings or opinions Please feel free to express your opinions openly. The governor has been openly critical of the President.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of openly First Proof’s rules require any entrants to be openly available, so OpenAI’s blockbuster new model was excluded. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026 Hollywood should be a city where Jewish residents can live openly, safely and proudly, without intimidation, hatred or antisemitism. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026 Dozens of medical professionals have openly promoted access to retatrutide, and some sellers have been aided by an independent, blue-chip certification that gives them the appearance of legitimacy and the ability to advertise it on social media. — Daniel Gilbert, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 The details of the allegations, which disclosed how fraternity members used a Snapchat group chat to discuss the woman and events at the party with openly crude language, sparked fury across the nation. — Elissa Nadworny, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026 The judges openly questioned whether Wisne has defined the relevant market—meaning an area of competition subject to antitrust scrutiny—and whether there’s sufficient data to support the antitrust claim. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026 European governments are now openly telling people to stockpile food and prepare for more of their taxes to be spent on defense, warning that Russia may launch a direct attack on their soil. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026 This is a right-wing movement whose leaders, especially members of the Bolsonaro family, have openly and consistently called for the revival of Brazil’s military regime that ruled the country from the mid-1960s to mid-1980s. — Rafael R. Ioris, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026 Imagine Nick Saban's daughter openly rooting for a rival SEC program back in like 2010 while her father was in the middle of absolute wars to win the league. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for openly

Adverb

Mosquitoes and infected people can move freely from one country to another, and success requires complex coordination between the governments.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
But as that approach began to deliver diminishing returns, and freely available human data started to dry up, the labs have leaned much more on post-training and reinforcement learning.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of freely

Adverb

And incumbents can sincerely believe important work remains unfinished.

— Nancy Forster-Holt, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
In a scene at the beginning of Episode 8, actor Siena Agudong, who plays Sue, expresses Flanagan’s belief that sincerely openhearted people like Carrie are met with rejection and seen as alien in a world where cynicism is our default mode.

— Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026