Basic Details
Word: Openly
Part of Speech: Adverb
Meaning: Without hiding anything; honestly and in front of other people.
Synonyms: frankly, publicly, honestly, freely
Antonyms: secretly, privately, covertly
How to Spell Openly
Syllables: o - pen - ly
Tricky part: Open stays whole and ly is added. There is no double n and no e before ly.
Watch out for: opennly, openley, opanly
Memory tip: Nothing falls out when you open this word: o-p-e-n stays complete, and ly follows straight after.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Riya spoke openly about her fear of heights.
Example 2: The two players openly admitted they had made a mistake.
Example 3: Bring your problems to the counsellor and talk openly.
Fun Fact
On 6 April 1930 at Dandi, Mahatma Gandhi openly broke the British salt law by picking up a lump of natural salt from the shore.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word openly as it is used in the sentence:
The two ministers openly disagreed about the new highway during the meeting.
a) secretly
b) honestly
c) frankly
d) publicly
Show answer
a) secretly. Disagreeing openly means in front of everyone, so the opposite is doing it secretly.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
opennly
a) l
b) p
c) n
d) e
Show answer
c) n. Open has one n, and adding ly does not change that.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. openly 2. genuinly 3. sincerly 4. honestley
a) without hiding anything, in front of others
b) in a truthful way
c) in a way that shows your true feelings
d) truly; really
Show answer
a) without hiding anything, in front of others. Sincerely and genuinely keep the e of their adjectives, and honestly has no e before ly; openly is the one written correctly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence shows someone acting openly?
a) Ravi told the class he had broken the window.
b) Ravi hid the broken glass under his desk.
c) Ravi blamed his friend for the window.
d) Ravi said nothing about the window.
Show answer
a) Ravi told the class he had broken the window.
2. Openly is formed from the adjective ____.
a) open
b) opening
c) opener
d) opened
Show answer
a) open
