honest and direct in what you say, sometimes in a way that other people might not likea full and frank discussiona frank admission of guiltHe was very frank about his relationship with the actress.To be frank with you, I think your son has little chance of passing the exam.SynonymshonestfrankdirectopenoutspokenstraightbluntThese words all describe people saying exactly what they mean without trying to hide feelings, opinions or facts.honest not hiding the truth about something:Thank you for being so honest with me.frank honest in what you say, sometimes in a way that other people might not like:To be frank with you, I think your son has little chance of passing the exam.direct saying exactly what you mean in a way that nobody can pretend not to understand:You’ll have to get used to his direct manner.Being direct is sometimes considered positive but sometimes it is used as a ‘polite’ way of saying that somebody is rude.open (approving) (of a person) not keeping thoughts and feelings hidden:He was quite open about his reasons for leaving.outspoken saying exactly what you think, even if this shocks or offends people:She was outspoken in her criticism of the plan.straight honest and direct:I don’t think you’re being straight with me.blunt saying exactly what you think without trying to be polite:She has a reputation for blunt speaking.which word?Honest and frank refer to what you say as much as how you say it:a(n) honest/frank admission of guilt. They are generally positive words, although it is possible to be too frank in a way that other people might not like. Direct, outspoken and blunt all describe somebody’s manner of saying what they think. Outspoken suggests that you are willing to shock people by saying what you believe to be right. Blunt and direct often suggest that you think honesty is more important than being polite. Open is positive and describes somebody’s character:I’m a very open person.Patterns honest/frank/direct/open/outspoken/straight about something honest/frank/direct/open/straight/blunt with somebody a(n) honest/direct/straight/blunt answer a frank/direct/blunt mannerOxford Collocations Dictionaryverbsbeadverbextremely,fairly,very,…prepositionabout,withphrasesfull and frank,to be frank (with you)…Seefull entrySee related entries:HonestWord Originadjective Middle English (in the sense ‘free’): from Old French franc, from medieval Latin francus ‘free’, from Francus (only Franks had full freedom in Frankish Gaul), of the same origin and related to French. Another Middle English sense was ‘generous’, which led to the current sense. Extra examplesMacmillan was quite frank about his concerns.She surveyed Sophie from top to toe in a disarmingly frank way.She was brutally frank in her assessment of our chances.To be frank with you, I don’t really think you have a chance.To be frank, I don’t care who wins.a full and frank exchange of viewsTo be frank with you, I think your son has little chance of passing the exam.
See frank in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishSee frank in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
