Meaning & use
straightly
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Meanings
adverbnot comparablerare
In a straight line or direct manner, without bending or turning aside.
Grammar: Almost always replaced by 'straight': go straight, not go straightly.
Patterns
- walk straightly
- look straightly at someone
The arrow flew straightly toward the target.
He looked straightly at the judge and answered without fear.
The path runs straightly through the field.
adverbnot comparablearchaic
In an honest or upright way, without lying or evasion.
Grammar: This is a formal, old-fashioned use; 'honestly' or 'directly' is more usual today.
Patterns
- act straightly
- speak straightly
He lived straightly, and no one ever doubted his word.
The clerk dealt straightly with every customer.
She told them straightly what she thought of the plan.
Common combinations
- look straightly
- He looked straightly at the camera.
- speak straightly
- She spoke straightly about the problem.
- fly straightly
- The bird flew straightly across the lake.
- run straightly
- The road runs straightly for twenty miles.
Synonyms and how they differ
- straight
- It is the normal adverb in modern English and is almost always preferred to 'straightly'.
- directly
- It stresses going without detours, and fits both movement and speech.
- honestly
- It points to truthfulness, not to shape or direction.
Opposites
Word family
- straight adjective
- without a bend
- straight adverb
- in a direct line
- straightness noun
- the quality of being straight
- straighten verb
- to make straight
Commonly confused: straightly or straight?
straightly vs straight
Straight is the normal adverb in 'go straight home', while 'straightly' sounds unnatural to most native speakers.
Practice
Which sentence sounds most natural in everyday modern English?
Choose one answer.
'Straight' is the ordinary adverb; 'straightly' is rare and old-fashioned, and the other options are not real forms here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “straightly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.