plain

[ pleyn ]

/ pleɪn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR plain ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, plain·er, plain·est.

clear or distinct to the eye or ear: a plain trail to the river; to stand in plain view.

clear to the mind; evident, manifest, or obvious: to make one's meaning plain.

conveying the meaning clearly and simply; easily understood: plain talk.

downright; sheer; utter; self-evident: plain folly; plain stupidity.

free from ambiguity or evasion; candid; outspoken: the plain truth of the matter.

without special pretensions, superiority, elegance, etc.; ordinary: plain people.

not beautiful; physically unattractive or undistinguished: a plain face.

without intricacies or difficulties.

ordinary, simple, or unostentatious: Although she was a duchess, her manners were attractively plain.

with little or no embellishment, decoration, or enhancing elaboration: a plain blue suit.

without a pattern, figure, or device: a plain fabric.

not rich, highly seasoned, or elaborately prepared, as food: a plain diet.

flat or level: plain country.

unobstructed, clear, or open, as ground, a space, etc.

Cards. being other than a face card or a trump.

adverb

clearly and simply: He's just plain stupid.

noun

an area of land not significantly higher than adjacent areas and with relatively minor differences in elevation, commonly less than 500 feet (150 meters), within the area.

The Plains. Great Plains.

Origin of plain

1250–1300; Middle English (adj., adv., and noun) < Old French (adj. and noun) < Latin plānus flat, level, plānum flat country

SYNONYMS FOR plain

1, 2 lucid, understandable, intelligible, unmistakable, apparent, perspicuous.

2, 3 unambiguous, unequivocal, patent, transparent; direct.

5 unreserved, straightforward, blunt, frank, ingenuous, open, sincere.

6 unpretentious.

10 unadorned.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR plain ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR plain

1 indistinct.

2 obscure.

13 hilly.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR plain ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for plain

10. See homely.

OTHER WORDS FROM plain

plain·ly, adverb plain·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH plain

plain plan plane

Words nearby plain

plaguy, plaice, plaid, plaid cymru, plaided, plain, plain as day, plain bearing, plain chocolate, plain clothes, plain dealing

Example sentences from the Web for plainly

The results, as you can plainly see, are as trippy as they are webby.

Zebra Finches, Dolphins, Elephants, and More Animals Under the Influence |Bill Schulz |December 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
So plainly faceless malignity was much on his mind when he wrote this book.

Albert Camus, Our Existential Epidemiologist |Malcolm Jones |October 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
What I think should happen is you should go to jail when you commit assault, which we can plainly see he did.

Bill Maher: 'Sorry J. Law, We're Going to Have to Look at Your Nipples…' |Marlow Stern |September 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But this time I can plainly hear, through the rush of words, the faint rattle of hysteria that bespeaks a screw loose somewhere.

The Stacks: Grateful Dead I Have Known |Ed McClanahan |August 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

And even if that was true, it wouldn't vindicate a disparity that plainly affected her and presumably other women at the paper.

The Hypocrisy Behind The New York Times’s Abrupt Decapitation of Jill Abramson |Robert Shrum |May 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It was well known what the French wished, and it was time to declare it plainly.

Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. II (of 16) |Thomas Hart Benton
Betwixt the cold sun and the hard earth, a dust-befogged wind, plainly borrowed from March, was sweeping the street.

Mary Marston |George MacDonald
It said as plainly as possible, however great the danger he saw before him, it must be chanced for the greater danger behind.

The Law-Breakers |Ridgwell Cullum
He had plainly come many miles from somewhere across the vast horizon, as the dust upon him showed.

The Virginian |Owen Wister
I am now ready to go on with the second part of my story as shortly and plainly as possible, by word of mouth.

A House to Let |Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for plainly (1 of 2)

plain ¹

/ (pleɪn) /

adjective

flat or smooth; level

not complicated; clear the plain truth

not difficult; simple or easy a plain task

honest or straightforward

lowly, esp in social rank or education

without adornment or show a plain coat

(of fabric) without pattern or of simple untwilled weave

not attractive

not mixed; simple plain vodka

knitting of or done in plain

noun

a level or almost level tract of country, esp an extensive treeless region

a simple stitch in knitting made by putting the right needle into a loop on the left needle, passing the wool round the right needle, and pulling it through the loop, thus forming a new loop

(in billiards)

the unmarked white ball, as distinguished from the spot balls
the player using this ball

(in Ireland) short for plain porter, a light porter two pints of plain, please

adverb

(intensifier) just plain tired

Derived forms of plain

plainly, adverb plainness, noun

Word Origin for plain

C13: from Old French: simple, from Latin plānus level, distinct, clear

British Dictionary definitions for plainly (2 of 2)

plain ²

/ (pleɪn) /

verb

a dialect or poetic word for complain

Word Origin for plain

C14 pleignen, from Old French plaindre to lament, from Latin plangere to beat

Scientific definitions for plainly

plain

[ plān ]

An extensive, relatively level area of land. Plains are present on all continents except Antarctica and are most often located in the interior regions. Because they can occur at almost any altitude or latitude, plains can be humid and forested, semiarid and grass-covered, or arid.

A broad, level expanse, such as an area of the sea floor or a lunar mare.

Idioms and Phrases with plainly

plain

In addition to the idioms beginning with plain

plain as day
plain sailing

also see:

in plain English

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

plain

adjective, plain·er, plain·est.

adverb

noun

Origin of plain

SYNONYMS FOR plain

ANTONYMS FOR plain

synonym study for plain

OTHER WORDS FROM plain

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH plain

Words nearby plain

Example sentences from the Web for plainly

British Dictionary definitions for plainly (1 of 2)

adjective

noun

adverb

Derived forms of plain

Word Origin for plain

British Dictionary definitions for plainly (2 of 2)

verb

Word Origin for plain

Scientific definitions for plainly

Idioms and Phrases with plainly

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

plain

adjective, plain·er, plain·est.

adverb

noun

Origin of plain

SYNONYMS FOR plain

ANTONYMS FOR plain

synonym study for plain

OTHER WORDS FROM plain

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH plain

Words nearby plain

Words related to plainly

Example sentences from the Web for plainly

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for plainly (1 of 2)

adjective

noun

adverb

Derived forms of plain

Word Origin for plain

British Dictionary definitions for plainly (2 of 2)

verb

Word Origin for plain

Scientific definitions for plainly

Idioms and Phrases with plainly

British Dictionary definitions for plainly (1 of 2)