unabashedly
adverb

- in an unabashed manner; without embarrassment, self-consciousness, or apology.

- in an unabashed way — that is, without any worry about possible criticism or what other people might think.

- in a manner that is not ashamed or embarrassed, especially about something that others might find surprising or objectionable.

Merriam-Webster, Cambridge Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

Unabashedly is built from layers, each adding a precise shade of meaning.

At the centre sits the Old French verb esbahir — to astound, to stupefy — which gave English the verb to abash, meaning to embarrass or make someone feel self-conscious. This arrived in English around the 14th century. The word carries the idea of someone losing their composure when caught out or put on the spot.

The prefix un- negates the whole thing. To be unabashed is simply to lack that embarrassment — your composure remains perfectly intact regardless of what anyone thinks.

The suffix -ed turns it into an adjective (unabashed), and -ly converts it to the adverb unabashedly: describing how an action is performed — openly, without any visible attempt to hide, excuse, or tone down.

The word gained momentum in the 19th century as English developed a taste for words that distinguished between being embarrassed and being willing to be seen. An unabashed person isn't just confident — they're specifically indifferent to the expectation that they should be embarrassed.

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

audaciously, UNABASHEDLY, baldly, blatantly, bluntly, boldly, brass neck, brazenly, candidly, categorically, confidently, defiantly, directly, explicitly, eye-to-eye, face-to-face, flagrantly, flatly, forthrightly, frankly, freely, front and centre, full-throatedly, head-on, immodestly, in broad daylight, in plain sight (plain view, your face), loud and clear, nakedly, no holds barred (two ways about it), not bat an eyelid, openly, out and proud (in the open), outright, overtly, own it completely, plainly, point-blank, proudly, say it like it is (it straight), shamelessly, speak your mind, squarely, standing tall, staunchly, stoutly, straight from the shoulder, straight out, transparently, unapologetically, unashamedly, unblinkingly, unblushingly, unequivocally, unhesitatingly, unselfconsciously, up front, wear it on your sleeve, with complete candour, with disarming honesty, with head held high (no shame, one's head held high), without a flicker of guilt (a second thought, apology, batting an eye, blinking, embarrassment, flinching, without hesitation, without, without shame, so much as a blush)

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“At least you know where you stand with friends who are UNABASHEDLY honest with their feedback.”

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