not straightforward

ADJECTIVE

devious

Synonyms

STRONGEST

calculating deceitful duplicitous fraudulent insidious insincere shrewd sly sneaky underhanded wily

WEAK

artful crooked double-dealing errant erring evasive faking one out fishy foxy guileful indirect oblique obliquitous playing games playing politics put on roundabout scheming shady shifty sneaking surreptitious treacherous tricky

Antonyms

STRONGEST

fair forthright frank honest naive open sincere

WEAK

artless direct straight straightforward trustworthy truthful

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.

not straightforward

Machchhar's path to the cockpit was not straightforward.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

But, as ever in this case, the complexities indicate this is not straightforward.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

However, applying fluid dynamics directly to magnetic fields was not straightforward.

From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026

But turning that idea into policy is not straightforward.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

Of course, making a real machine from a drawing is not straightforward.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton