: offering or providing only the essentials : not fancy, elaborate, or luxurious
a no-frills airline

Examples of no-frills in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Just like a red lip can transform your entire look with a single swipe, red nail polish can evoke confidence and boldness with a simple, no-frills manicure. Audrey Noble, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024 Egg 'n Things For a no-frills start to your morning, head to Egg ‘n Things, where there’s a little something for everyone. Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2024 If the producing team behind The Girls on the Bus, which also features Greg Berlanti among others, isn’t powerful enough to do that no-frills version, probably nobody is. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 For subscribers:Restaurant of the Year Alpino brings a foreign, yet familiar cuisine to Detroit No. 1: Coeur, Ferndale Chef Jordan Smith’s ambition to present a no-frills establishment is no indication of a bashful pedigree. Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024 The first-time director, Sam Yates, working from a utilitarian script by Tom Bateman, slathers on mood, yet there’s a primitive charge to the film’s no-frills staging. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024 Don Oscar provides no-frills barbecue and bright-orange hot sauce in repurposed Pepsi bottles. Laurence Blair, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Overall, this is a no-frills swing that gets high marks for effectiveness and safety features and won’t cost you a fortune. Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 7 Mar. 2024 Smith’s ambition to present a no-frills establishment is no indication of a bashful pedigree. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'no-frills.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of no-frills was in 1948

Dictionary Entries Near no-frills

Cite this Entry

“No-frills.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/no-frills. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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