straight

/streɪt/

/streɪt/

Other forms: straighter; straightest; straightly; straights

Arrows, sides of a rectangle, well-organized lines of people waiting to get into the theater or the ladies' room, and anything else free from curves can be described as straight. The word can also mean honest, uninterrupted, undiluted, or heterosexual.

In Middle English, strecchen meant "to stretch." Streght "stretched" emerged from it and morphed into straight. It's easy to see the connection: If you stretch out a piece of spaghetti or a curl, it looks linear. Today the word means free from bends, breaks, or irregularities literally or figuratively. "Give it to me straight" means "just the facts, ma'am." "I was up for seven straight days" means "I haven't slept in a week."

Definitions of straight
  1. adjective
    having no deviations
    “straight lines”
    “straight roads across the desert”
    “straight teeth”
    “straight shoulders”
    Synonyms:
    direct
    direct in spatial dimensions; proceeding without deviation or interruption; straight and short
    perpendicular, vertical
    at right angles to the plane of the horizon or a base line
    aligned
    in a straight line
    unbent
    not bent
    untwisted
    not twisted; formerly twisted but now straight
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    crooked
    having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned
    indirect
    not direct in spatial dimension; not leading by a straight line or course to a destination
    akimbo
    (used of arms and legs) bent outward with the joint away from the body
    anfractuous
    full of twists and turns
    aquiline, hooked
    curved down like an eagle's beak
    askew, awry, cockeyed, lopsided, skew-whiff, wonky
    turned or twisted toward one side
    contorted, writhed, writhen
    twisted (especially as in pain or struggle)
    deflective, refractive
    capable of changing the direction (of a light or sound wave)
    geniculate
    bent at a sharp angle
    gnarled, gnarly, knobbed, knotted, knotty
    used of old persons or old trees; covered with knobs or knots
    malposed
    characterized by malposition
    reflexed
    (of leaves) bent downward and outward more than 90 degrees
    squiggly
    wavy and twisting
    tortuous, twisting, twisty, voluminous, winding
    marked by repeated turns and bends
    warped
    used especially of timbers or boards; bent out of shape usually by moisture
    windblown
    used especially of trees; growing in a shape determined by the prevailing winds
    wry
    bent to one side
    zig-zag, zigzag
    having short sharp turns or angles
    coiled
    curled or wound (especially in concentric rings or spirals)
    show more antonyms...
  2. adjective
    free from curves or angles
    “a straight line”
    Synonyms:
    trabeate, trabeated
    not arcuate; having straight horizontal beams or lintels (rather than arches)
    uncurved, uncurving
    having no curves
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    curved, curving
    having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend
    arced, arched, arching, arciform, arcuate, bowed
    forming or resembling an arch
    curvilineal, curvilinear
    characterized by or following a curved line
    eellike
    resembling an eel in being long and thin and sinuous
    falcate, falciform, sickle-shaped
    curved like a sickle
    curvey, curvy
    having curves
    flexuous
    having turns or windings
    hooked, hooklike
    having or resembling a hook (especially in the ability to grasp and hold)
    incurvate, incurved
    bent into or having an inward curve
    recurvate, recurved
    curved backward or inward
    semicircular
    curved into a half circle
    serpentine, snakelike, snaky
    resembling a serpent in form
    sinuate, sinuous, wiggly
    curved or curving in and out
    sinusoidal
    having a succession of waves or curves
    upcurved
    curving upward
    show more antonyms...
  3. adjective
    accurately fitted; level
    synonyms: true
    even
    being level or straight or regular and without variation as e.g. in shape or texture; or being in the same plane or at the same height as something else (i.e. even with)
  4. adjective
    (of hair) having no waves or curls
    “her naturally straight hair hung long and silky”
    Synonyms:
    uncurled
    not having been curled
    unpermed
    not having had a permanent wave
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    curly
    (of hair) having curls or waves
    curled, curling
    of hair having curls
    crisp, frizzly, frizzy, kinky, nappy
    (of hair) in small tight curls
    permed
    styled with permanent waves
    ringleted
    (of hair) shaped into ringlets
    wavy
    (of hair) having waves
    show more antonyms...
  5. adjective
    erect in posture
    “sit straight”
    synonyms: unbent, unbowed
    erect, upright, vertical
    upright in position or posture
  6. adjective
    no longer coiled
    synonyms: uncoiled
    uncurled
    not curled
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    coiled
    curled or wound (especially in concentric rings or spirals)
    coiling, helical, spiral, spiraling, turbinate, volute, voluted, whorled
    in the shape of a coil
    convolute, convoluted
    rolled longitudinally upon itself
    involute
    (of some shells) closely coiled so that the axis is obscured
    involute, rolled
    especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
    wound
    put in a coil
    show more antonyms...
  7. adverb
    without deviation
    synonyms: direct, directly
  8. adverb
    in a straight line; in a direct course
    “the road runs straight”
  9. noun
    a straight segment of a roadway or racecourse
    synonyms: straightaway
    see moresee less
    types:
    stretch
    a straightaway section of a racetrack
    homestretch
    the straight stretch of a racetrack leading to the finish line
    type of:
    section, segment
    one of several parts or pieces that fit with others to constitute a whole object
  10. adjective
    following a correct or logical method
    “straight reasoning”
    Synonyms:
    correct, right
    free from error; especially conforming to fact or truth
  11. adjective
    in keeping with the facts
    “set the record straight”
    “made sure the facts were straight in the report”
    Synonyms:
    accurate
    conforming exactly or almost exactly to fact or to a standard or performing with total accuracy
  12. adjective
    neatly arranged; not disorderly
    “the room is straight now”
    Synonyms:
    tidy
    marked by order and cleanliness in appearance or habits
  13. adjective
    without evasion or compromise
    synonyms: square, straightforward
    direct
    straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action
  14. adjective
    characterized by honesty and fairness
    “straight dealing”
    synonyms: square
    honest, honorable
    not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
    lawful
    conformable to or allowed by law
    aboveboard, straightforward
    without concealment or deception; honest
    guileless, transparent
    free of deceit
    straightarrow
    conventionally moral and upright
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    corrupt, crooked
    not straight; dishonest or immoral or evasive
    dishonest, dishonorable
    deceptive or fraudulent; disposed to cheat or defraud or deceive
    unlawful
    contrary to or prohibited by or defiant of law
    sneaky, underhand, underhanded
    marked by deception
    show more antonyms...
  15. adverb
    in a forthright manner; candidly or frankly
    “told me straight out”
    synonyms: directly, flat
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    indirectly, obliquely
    not in a forthright manner
  16. adjective
    successive (without a break)
    “sick for five straight days”
    synonyms: consecutive
    continuous, uninterrupted
    continuing in time or space without interruption
  17. noun
    a poker hand with 5 consecutive cards (regardless of suit)
    see moresee less
    type of:
    poker hand
    the 5 cards held in a game of poker
  18. adjective
    sexually attracted exclusively to members of the opposite sex
    Synonyms:
    heterosexual
    sexually attracted exclusively to members of the opposite sex
  19. noun
    a heterosexual person; someone having a sexual orientation to persons of the opposite sex
    synonyms: heterosexual, heterosexual person, straight person
    see moresee less
    type of:
    individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul
    a human being
  20. adjective
    rigidly conventional or old-fashioned
    synonyms: square
    conventional
    unimaginative and conformist
  21. adjective
    without water
    synonyms: full-strength, neat
    undiluted
    not diluted
Pronunciation
US

/streɪt/
UK

/streɪt/
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Word Family

Vocabulary lists containing straight

Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1

On the ACT Reading Test, you'll encounter questions that ask you to determine the meanings of common words in context. We've identified 170 high-frequency, multiple-meaning words of the sort that you'll see on the exam. As you practice this list, you'll have to rely on context clues in order to determine each word’s meaning in a particular sentence. Be careful! Several of a word's meanings might show up as answer choices — but only one answer will capture the meaning of the word in the context of the sentence.

Unit 5

For a better understanding of the words you learned on Rosetta Stone Foundations, simply start a practice session! You’ll learn additional meanings and different contexts that will help you become a stronger reader and writer.

The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2

On the ACT Reading Test, you'll encounter questions that ask you to determine the meanings of common words in context. We've identified 200 high-frequency, multiple-meaning words of the sort that you'll see on the exam. As you practice this list, you'll have to rely on context clues in order to determine each word’s meaning in a particular sentence. Be careful! Several of a word's meanings might show up as answer choices — but only one answer will capture the meaning of the word in the context of the sentence.

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