no-frills

adjective

ˈnō-ˈfrilz 

: offering or providing only the essentials : not fancy, elaborate, or luxurious

a no-frills airline

Synonyms of no-frills

• spartan
• simple
• austere

Examples of no-frills in a Sentence

a low-cost, no-frills vacation during which we camped out and cooked our own meals

Recent Examples on the Web

Nicholas Fox, a former Virgin Group communications executive who worked across Virgin’s airline and train businesses who now is a Senior Managing Director at Sloane PR, says Spirit lost something along the way that originally made no-frills flying work. —Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026

The Whoop is a no-frills wristband built for function over fashion, while the Oura is a sleek, jewelry-like smart ring that sits on your finger. —Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 22 Apr. 2026

Wisconsin Cheese Curds For anyone who appreciates honest, no-frills bar food, cheese curds are essential eating in Wisconsin. —Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2026

Either way, the classic look of this piece will fit seamlessly in a no-frills bathroom. —Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for no-frills

• bluegills
• brazils
• distills
• distils
• foothills
• fulfills
• fulfils
• handbills
• instills
• landfills
• refills
• sandhills