What does "straightway" mean?
A straight section of a racetrack.
Straightway
adv, noun
adv, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A straight section of a racetrack.
- Grammar: straightway is listed as adv, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: all at once, all together, apace, at once.
- Usage evidence: Matthew, hastily summoned from the harvest field, was straightway dispatched for the doctor.
How to use "straightway"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "straightway" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "straightway" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "straightway" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "straightway" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "straightway" is acting as adv, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "all at once" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "straightway", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A straight section of a racetrack.
Adverb
- 1 Synonym of straightaway or straight away (“at once, immediately”). dated, not-comparable
"Now, if in a stage coach in the depth of winter, when three passengers are warm and snug, a fourth, all besnowed and frozen, descends from the outside and takes place amongst them, straightway all the three passengers shift their places, uneasily pull up their cloak collars, re-arrange their "comforters," feel indignantly a sensible loss of caloric—the intruder has at least made a sensation."
- 2 Directly. nonstandard, not-comparable
"But like as eyes not strong enough to look upon the sun yet do gladly look upon the objects which are by the sun enlightened, so, souls which have already strength to delight in the beauty of chastity are yet not straightway able to consider in her very self that truth which charity hath her light, insomuch that when it cometh to the doing of somewhat that is adverse to truth, they should so start back in horror as they do start back in horror if aught be proposed to be done that is adverse to chastity."
Adverb
- 1 in a direct course wordnet
- 2 at once wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Matthew, hastily summoned from the harvest field, was straightway dispatched for the doctor."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "straightway"?
Common synonyms include: all at once, all together, apace, at once, away, direct.
How do you use "straightway" in a sentence?
Matthew, hastily summoned from the harvest field, was straightway dispatched for the doctor.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From straight + way.
Etymology 2
From straight + way. First attested in the sense of "directly".