outright

Outright is a term used in English as both an adjective and an adverb, conveying completeness, directness, or openness. The word combines out and right in a way that historically emphasized doing something directly or in full, without intermediaries or reservation. It is widely found across contexts from everyday speech to specialized fields.

As an adjective, outright describes something total or absolute. Examples include outright victory, outright ban, outright rejection, or outright corruption. The term stresses that there is no partial measure or compromise involved.

As an adverb, outright means directly, openly, or frankly. For instance, a person can refuse outright or a policy can be rejected outright, indicating a clear and unambiguous stance or action.

In finance and commerce, outright is used to denote a standalone transaction or position, settled in full rather than through hedges, options, or layered structures. An outright purchase refers to buying an asset outright, with full ownership and payment. The term also appears in phrases such as outright forward, indicating a single, uncomplicated forward contract rather than a package of instruments. In other domains, outright is used similarly to emphasize completeness: an outright sale, an outright win in sports, or an outright market for a market-wide bet.

See also: complete, absolute, direct, unreserved.