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Definitions

man-to-man

[man-tuh-man] / ˈmæn təˈmæn /
ADJECTIVE
face-to-face
Synonyms
STRONGEST
eye to eye
STRONG
facing
WEAK
one-on-one person-to-person vis-à-vis woman-to-woman
ADJECTIVE
plainspoken
Synonyms
STRONGEST
blunt candid forthright guileless honest matter-of-fact naive outspoken straightforward
WEAK
aboveboard apparent artless bare-faced bold brazen call a spade a spade direct downright easy familiar flat-out free from the hip heart-to-heart ingenuous lay it on the line like it is natural open outright plain plain-spoken real saying what one thinks scrupulous sincere straight straight-out transparent truthful unconcealed undisguised uninhibited unreserved unrestricted up front upright
Antonyms
STRONGEST
artful deceitful devious dishonest lying tactful tricky untruthful
ADJECTIVE
straight-from-the-shoulder
Synonyms
WEAK
aboveboard apparent artless bare-faced blunt bold brazen call a spade a spade candid direct downright easy familiar flat-out forthright free from the hip guileless heart-to-heart honest ingenuous lay it on the line like it is matter-of-fact naive natural open outright outspoken plain plain-spoken plainspoken real saying what one thinks scrupulous sincere straight straight-out straightforward transparent truthful unconcealed undisguised uninhibited unreserved unrestricted up front upright
ADJECTIVE
straight-out
Synonyms
WEAK
aboveboard apparent artless bare-faced blunt bold brazen call a spade a spade candid direct downright easy familiar flat-out forthright free from the hip guileless heart-to-heart honest ingenuous lay it on the line like it is matter-of-fact naive natural open outright outspoken plain plain-spoken plainspoken real saying what one thinks scrupulous sincere straight straightforward transparent truthful unconcealed undisguised uninhibited unreserved unrestricted up front upright
ADJECTIVE
straight-shooting
Synonyms
WEAK
aboveboard apparent artless bare-faced blunt bold brazen call a spade a spade candid direct downright easy familiar flat-out forthright free from the hip guileless heart-to-heart honest ingenuous lay it on the line like it is matter-of-fact naive natural open outright outspoken plain plain-spoken plainspoken real saying what one thinks scrupulous sincere straight straight-out straightforward transparent truthful unconcealed undisguised uninhibited unreserved unrestricted up front upright

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Bournemouth pressed in a strict, aggressive man-to-man fashion and as they followed the winger into awkward positions, O'Reilly burst into the open space.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

Against Madrid, Bayern set up to man-to-man from opposition goal-kicks.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Liverpool's front three went man-to-man with these three players.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Any hiring decision therefore should have had these rigid principles in mind: the formation, an aggressive man-to-man defensive approach, unique rotations, and a willingness to attack more directly.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

It seemed that Papa and I never could hold a man-to-man conversation without Mama getting all worked up; especially, if we were talking about my going down to the river bottoms.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

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