frank

adjective

/fræŋk/

(comparative franker, superlative frankest)

more frank is also common.

honest and direct in what you say, sometimes in a way that other people might not like坦率的；直率的
- a full and frank discussion坦诚而充分的讨论
- a frank admission of guilt坦率承认心里有愧
- He was very frank about his relationship with the actress.他对自己和那位女演员的关系直言不讳。
- To be frank with you, I think your son has little chance of passing the exam.坦诚相告，我认为你的儿子不大可能通过考试。
Synonyms honest
honestfrank ▪ direct ▪ open ▪ outspoken ▪ straight ▪ bluntThese 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.感谢你对我这么坦诚。
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.坦诚相告，我认为你的儿子不大可能通过考试。
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.你得慢慢习惯他这种直率的方式。
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.他对离开的原因完全未加隐瞒。
outspoken saying exactly what you think, even if this shocks or offends people:
She was outspoken in her criticism of the plan.她直言不讳批评该计划。
straight honest and direct:
I don’t think you’re being straight with me.我觉得你没跟我坦诚相见。
blunt saying exactly what you think without trying to be polite:
She has a reputation for blunt speaking.她说话出了名地直截了当。
which word?
- Honest and frank refer to what you say as much as how you say it:
  a(n) honest/frank admission of guilt.坦承有罪
  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.我这个人非常坦诚直率。
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 manner
Extra Examples
- Macmillan was quite frank about his concerns.麦克米伦十分坦率地说出了他的担心。
- She surveyed Sophie from top to toe in a disarmingly frank way.她以让人放心的坦率目光把索菲从头到脚打量了一番。
- She was brutally frank in her assessment of our chances.她丝毫不顾及我们的感受，直言不讳地指出我们没什么机会。
- To be frank, I don't care who wins.坦白说，我不在乎谁获胜。
Topics Personal qualitiesc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
preposition
- about
- with
phrases
- full and frank
- to be frank (with you)…
Word 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.

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