1
as in honesty
the free expression of one's true feelings and opinions
her openness was refreshing after the tiresome coyness of her friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vulnerability
the state of being left without shelter or protection against something harmful
doctors are concerned about the population's openness to the new strain of the flu virus
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of openness
The contemporary hull is designed to maximize openness while retaining a close connection with water.
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Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2025
That openness extends to her ambitions offstage as well.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
While lawmakers remained tight-lipped about the specifics of their all-caucus lunch, comments from leadership suggested a growing openness to bipartisan negotiations.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Trump had previously signaled openness to allowing Nvidia to sell its advanced Blackwell AI chip to China as part of his trade war truce with Beijing.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Across his decades-long career, filmmaker Malik Hassan Sayeed has sat for only a handful of feature interviews, which is unrepresentative of both his unique ability to communicate and his openness to sharing stories from his life.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
But others have pointed out that generative-AI companies are the ones killing openness, by motivating publishers to expand and strengthen their paywalls to defend their work (and their business models) from exploitative scrapers.
—Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
However, during a podcast appearance last week, Jimmy Wales expressed openness to incorporating AI.
—PC Magazine, 4 Nov. 2025
The honesty and openness with each other, in such a relaxed environment, is what makes the Foodie Boyz sound so relatable and familiar to their audience.
—Stephanie Ganz, Parents, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for openness
Noun
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Once Venus, Mercury and the sun finally move into Aquarius, the trajectory of our love lives will shift gears entirely, as this Air sign encourages honesty, friendship and independence.—
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Our guide gives you the best strategies to handle lying and deception at every stage and smart ways to teach your child the value of honesty.—
Noun
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This move highlights vulnerabilities in the technology supply chain, affecting automakers like Honda, which halted production at a Mexican factory.—
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Her son's vulnerability precipitated some of those words.—
Noun
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Know that conversations deserve deep sincerity.—
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Part of what comes to me, Roxana, is my sincerity and my earnestness.—
Noun
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The sensor can record long and short exposures simultaneously, improving sharpness when subjects move.—
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Smith said that the increase in disaster costs is driven by greater exposure and vulnerability to extreme events, as well as by certain hazard types becoming more frequent or intense due to the influence of climate change.—
Noun
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off those comments as an example of the president’s frankness.—
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Their frankness and loyalty are also notable when the call is in.—
Noun
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While not perfect, Johnson was involved in many of Palace’s best attacking moments and brought directness and purpose, qualities that have been lacking in their game since Ismaila Sarr left just before Christmas to play for Senegal in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.—
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Learn to handle directness without getting defensive.—
Noun
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WalletHub has studied deferred interest since 2012, periodically flagging retailers that offer the loans and rating their financing offers on transparency and forthrightness.—
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Monique’s penchant for forthrightness, almost to the point of abruptness, is what makes her reintegration to the cast fascinating already.—
Cite this Entry
“Openness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/openness. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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