How to Use downright in a Sentence

downright

1 of 2 adverb
  • The movie was downright stupid.
  • It's very difficult, if not downright impossible.
  • And some of them are downright clever.
    — Melanie Marshall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Now here’s where things can get downright sticky.
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2025
  • The decor is thoughtful and downright cool.
    — Katie Lockhart, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2025
  • That means knowing the good, the bad, and the downright dirty.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2026
  • But her nails do have a very summery — if not downright springy — feel.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 4 Oct. 2023
  • Sometimes, the hair comes out in large clumps, which can be downright scary.
    — ​wendy Wisner, Parents, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Turns out, a killer dressed in a downright creepy duck costume is on the loose.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2023
  • Now that is just downright heroic.
    — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
  • This can result in blunt plans that to many seem downright ugly.
    — Bill Kearney, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
  • The get downright ugly when Texas can't score.
    — Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Ever wonder if a video game just downright hates you?
    — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
  • To purport that would be comedic at best and downright lying at worst.
    — Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2026
  • The bulk of them are predictable at best, downright boring at worst.
    — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 7 Jan. 2026
  • These items are fun and scrumptious; some are even downright decadent.
    — Aleksandra Crapanzano, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2023
  • The same goes for shades that look solid in daylight but turn downright sheer at night.
    — Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 2 Jan. 2026
  • And at times their rivalry got downright spicy.
    — Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 7 June 2026
  • Drain Mats Kitchen sinks may be dirty, but your drain mat is downright nasty.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 May 2026
  • Here’s a look around the game at where things stand, both the good, the bad and the downright stunning.
    — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2026
  • All of this is downright awful for fans in Detroit.
    — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 9 June 2026
  • And eating the same thing four days in a row can even get downright depressing.
    — Olivia Tarantino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Sep. 2025
  • And the results are downright jaw-dropping.
    — Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 22 May 2026
  • But throw in a kid or two, and the entire process can feel downright overwhelming.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 30 Nov. 2025
  • At the end of eight episodes, things got downright complicated.
    — Jacqueline Saguin, Good Housekeeping, 24 June 2023
  • No doubt some were downright embarrassed.
    — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
  • From there, the beef between the two couples runs the gamut from faux-gentile to downright nasty.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
  • But the timeline was downright absurd.
    — ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
  • There’s something downright magical about how some knives seem to fit your hand like they were meant to be there.
    — T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Having that kind of power in a bike this light is downright menacing.
    — New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2025

downright

2 of 2 adjective
  • Worse than a chore, a downright war.
    — Cate Marvin, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
  • The old stereo mixes can be heard as slapdash or as downright avant-garde.
    — Jon Pareles, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2022
  • Keep on reading for more about this bizarre and downright creepy creature.
    — Katie Bourque, Good Housekeeping, 30 Sep. 2020
  • Funding one would be a challenge, two a downright stretch.
    — Greg Borowski, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
  • After all, to get this close to the finish and blow it again would be a downright shame.
    — Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News, 6 Feb. 2021
  • The era of waiting days for an overseas wire transfer seems downright quaint.
    — Michael Sindicich, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2022
  • Aioli is jazzy, showy, and a downright attention hog next to chill and classic mayo.
    — Bon Appétit, 21 Nov. 2019
  • The result is the franchise's best, and most downright fun, entry to date.
    — Brendan Morrow, The Week, 13 Jan. 2023
  • Trump has gone after Biden for months with a line of strange and downright false attacks.
    — Erin Corbett, refinery29.com, 6 Aug. 2020
  • But any downright chilly temperatures might have to wait until the next one.
    — Jay R. Jordan, Chron, 21 Oct. 2020
  • But rooting for the middling Wizards takes guts at best and is downright masochism at worst.
    — Ken Budd, The Atlantic, 26 Oct. 2022
  • College football can get downright petty at times.
    — Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
  • Whether this was spin, or downright revisionism, depends on your point of view.
    — Fergus McIntosh, New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Some corners of the market, such as tech options, are downright euphoric.
    — WSJ, 5 June 2023
  • If this reminder to loosen up nods to where Ashe is going, her next chapter should be a downright blast.
    — Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2022
  • That’s a downright bargain compared to how much Ferrari race cars have gone for in recent years.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 30 May 2023
  • Its moody lighting, stone archways, and grapevine murals make the space feel like a downright vacation.
    — Esra Erol, Bon Appétit, 5 Aug. 2022
  • One of Bond’s defining traits has long been his willingness (and downright desire) to break the rules.
    — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
  • And considering the portion sizes and the great fresh quality of the meats and cheese, that's a downright steal.
    — Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 29 Jan. 2024
  • Elle, Huppert has never shied away from the ethically murky or the downright taboo.
    — Liam Hess, Vogue, 13 July 2022
  • Once again, it is left to the athletes to point out the absurdity and downright evil of the situation.
    — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, 3 Mar. 2020
  • That it still eventually got made with all of the original cast is a downright miracle.
    — Lindsey Bahr, Star Tribune, 24 Nov. 2020
  • But there's also name-calling, bullying and downright cruelty that's taking a toll on all of us.
    — Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2025
  • Knicks fans, known for their rowdiness and downright devotion to the team, took to watch parties, bars and gatherings to see the game.
    — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 9 June 2026
  • There were plenty of delays and disagreements — some downright petty — on the way to consensus.
    — Ralph D. Russo, Chicago Tribune, 2 Dec. 2022
  • On the opposite end, a summertime dew point in the 40s or 50s can feel downright desert-like.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2025
  • From cozy slippers to luxe bedding, these deals on home, fashion, and lifestyle goodies are downright steals, since prices start at $18.
    — Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 11 July 2023
  • In the last movement, a gigue, Bach’s unsettled meters can across as downright Stravinsky-an.
    — Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2021
  • His arsenal of floaters, layups and dunks is downright Russell Westbrook-esque.
    — Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 May 2021
  • This cool style comes in three appealing color combinations, but the matte black and green option is the downright cheapest of the bunch.
    — Jennifer Chan, Peoplemag, 11 Oct. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'downright.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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