frankly

Meanings

1. 1adverbnot comparable

   In an honest and direct way, even when the truth is unwelcome.

   Grammar: Often placed at the start of a sentence and followed by a comma.

   Patterns

   • frankly, …
   • speak frankly to someone

   Frankly, I don't think this plan will work.

   She spoke frankly about her illness.

   He told me frankly that the food was not good.

2. 2adverbnot comparableinformal

   Used to emphasize an opinion that is strong or likely to be unwelcome.

   Grammar: Often used before an adjective or verb to add force.

   Patterns

   • frankly + adjective

   The service was frankly terrible.

   It is frankly absurd to expect them to finish by Friday.

   I was frankly relieved when the meeting ended.

Common combinations

speak frankly

I will speak frankly: we are running out of money.

frankly speaking

Frankly speaking, I preferred the first draft.

talk frankly

The two leaders talked frankly about their differences.

frankly admit

He frankly admitted he had made a mistake.

quite frankly

Quite frankly, I'd rather stay home.

Synonyms and how they differ

candidly

Candidly is similar but a bit more formal and stresses openness and sincerity rather than bluntness.

honestly

Honestly is the everyday word and may simply emphasise truth, whereas frankly warns of an unwelcome view.

bluntly

Bluntly suggests directness that may be rude or harsh, while frankly can be polite.

openly

Openly means without hiding anything, but not necessarily giving an unwelcome opinion.

Opposites

Word family

frank adjective

honest and direct in what you say

frankness noun

the quality of being honest and direct

Commonly confused: frankly or frantically?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “frankly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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