straight-ahead

adjective

ˈstrāt-ə-ˈhed How to pronounce straight-ahead (audio)
: relating to or being music performed in an unembellished manner typical of a given idiom or performer
broadly : straightforward

Examples of straight-ahead in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The album opens with Mockingbird, a straight-ahead blues rocker that might lull you into thinking this is another Blues-slinging record. — Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025 Arturo Sandoval Sandoval, renowned for blending Afro-Cuban jazz, bebop and straight-ahead jazz, performed in 1990 at the Honors tribute to his mentor Dizzy Gillespie. — Cathy Applefeld Olson, Billboard, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of straight-ahead was in 1964

Rhymes for straight-ahead

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Browse Nearby Words

straight accent
straight-ahead
straight and narrow
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Straight-ahead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/straight-ahead. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

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