Killed outright

[MoleAtTheCounter]

I saw this on a thread about an attic door: " it could come crashing down on someone's head and kill them outright."

Is this even worse than being killed a little bit?

No, it's better because you don't suffer.

No, better. It means killed instantly. As opposed to a lingering death.

Thank you both. I thought outright meant 'completely'.

Well, it DOES mean to be killed completely from the blow from the door, all in one go, as opposed to being badly injured and spending three days in hospital before you died of those injuries.

Outright has two meanings depending on the context. In addition to the time-related example of the door, to own something outright means to own it completely or totally.