“Downright” is a compound word (“down” and “right”) that serves as a particular kind of modifier because it can serve as both an adjective and an adverb. It modifies either a noun or an adjective, as follows: “It’s a downright shame” (an adjective modifying the noun “shame”) or “It’s downright shameful” (an adverb modifying the adjective “shameful”). Its main meaning is “absolute,” “plain,” or “undeniable.” Long ago, it also meant “looking straight downward.” But that meaning is now obsolete. In informal speech, it emphasizes a non-contestable speech utterance. It is seldom used in formal or legal language because it is rhetorical rather than provable. Any responder can argue that the contested statement is in fact deniable, as in "You say his tattoos are downright shameful, but in many cultures body decoration is considered beautiful."
As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
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