In an open manner, visibly, not covertly.
"The suspect openly admitted to stealing the jewelry in front of the police officers."
In plain English: Openly means doing something without trying to hide it from anyone else.
"He spoke openly about his mistakes during the meeting."
Usage: Use openly to describe actions performed without secrecy or concealment, such as admitting a mistake in public. This adverb often contrasts with words like secretly or privately when emphasizing transparency of intent.
Openly is formed by adding the suffix "-ly" to the word open. This combination created an adverb meaning "in an open manner," directly extending the existing definition of its root word into English.