The powdered milk was not as good as breast milk, and was downright dangerous (=actually dangerous) when it was mixed with unclean water.downrightdown‧right /ˈdaʊnraɪt/ adverb [+adjective/adverb] 
Jed’s downright lazy. It’s downright disgusting!—downright adjective [only before noun]: That’s a downright lie!
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Tom can be downright nasty sometimes.
- But that said, the diesel costs £16,600, which is downright preposterous.
- I thought my wedding was, despite its lacking the familiar trappings of tradition, downright legal.
- I tried to make polite small talk with him although he seemed distinctly taciturn, if not downright moody.
- Now I was getting downright edgy.
- Oooo ... makes me feel downright sanctified, just thinking about it!
- Other trees are downright mysterious, such as the yellow locust.
- She had made trouble whenever she could, stealing her boyfriends by telling downright lies.
- That means attempts to nab the downright nasty might just nail a few well-heeled, flannel-shirted shoppers in the process.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The powdered milk was not as good as breast milk, and was downright dangerous (=actually dangerous) when it was mixed with unclean water.
used to emphasize that something is completely bad or untrue: The powdered milk was not as good as breast milk, and was downright dangerous (=actually dangerous) when it was mixed with unclean water. (=used when something is clearly a lie, especially when you feel annoyed)· That’s a downright lie. I never said any such thing!
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· This was not just embarrassing, it was downright dangerous.· In fact, economists can be downright dangerous.· These guides are ill researched, entirely irresponsible and downright dangerous.· Malthus thought their more-the-merrier theory was hopelessly loony and downright dangerous.
Jed’s downright lazy. It’s downright disgusting!—downright adjective [only before noun]: That’s a downright lie!