downright
down·right/ˈdaʊnɹaɪt/adverb, adjective
downright is spelled D-O-W-N-R-I-G-H-T: 9 letters and 2 syllables (down·right). It appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, downright means “Completely, wholly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in downright?
| Letters | 9: D-O-W-N-R-I-G-H-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: down·right |
| In writing | 2.4 times per million words; the 17,587th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is downright?
Downright appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce downright?
- /ˈdaʊnɹaɪt/
- /ˌdaʊnˈɹaɪt/
- /ˈdaʊnˌɹaɪt/
Downright has 2 syllables, split down·right in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Sapaa-downright.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of downright
- more downright comparative
- most downright superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does downright mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Completely, wholly.
He wasn’t just cool to me, he was downright rude.
- 2
archaicOf acts or speech: directly and unambiguously; clearly, plainly.
- 3
obsoleteStraight down; perpendicularly.
- 4
obsoleteImmediately at that place and time; without delay; altogether, at once, then and there.
adjective
- 1
Absolute, complete.
- 2
Of a person or their behaviour: direct, plain, straightforward; also, of speech: direct and unambiguous; blunt, to the point.
- 3
obsoleteComing straight down; directed vertically.
- 4
obsoleteChiefly in downright money: in its most basic form; ordinary.
noun
- 1
obsoleteA low grade of wool from the lower parts of the sides of a fleece.
- 2
obsoleterareA vertical line; a perpendicular, a vertical.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Downright in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense completely, wholly:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.