plain

adjective \ ˈplān \

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: plain in a Sentence

Definition of plain

1 : lacking ornament : undecorated

2 : free of extraneous matter : pure

3 : free of impediments to view : unobstructed

4 a (1) : evident to the mind or senses : obvious

it's perfectly plain that they will resist

(2) : clear

let me make my meaning plain

b : marked by outspoken candor : free from duplicity or subtlety : blunt

plain talk

5 a : belonging to the masses : common

b : lacking special distinction or affectation : ordinary

6 : characterized by simplicity : not complicated

plain home-cooked meals

7 : lacking beauty or ugliness

8 archaic : even, level

—

plainly

adverb

—

plainness

play \ˈplān-nəs\ noun

See plain defined for English-language learners

Examples of plain in a Sentence

It was a plain room with no curtains.
She was wearing plain black shoes.
He printed the picture on plain paper.
a piece of plain chicken
You don't have to call me Mr. Johnson—just plain Fred will be fine.
What he said is a lie, plain and simple.

First Known Use of plain

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 8

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

plain Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of plain

common, ordinary, plain, familiar, popular, vulgar mean generally met with and not in any way special, strange, or unusual. common implies usual everyday quality or frequency of occurrence

- a common error
- lacked common honesty

and may additionally suggest inferiority or coarseness.

- common manners

ordinary stresses conformance in quality or kind with the regular order of things.

- an ordinary pleasant summer day
- a very ordinary sort of man

plain is likely to suggest homely simplicity.

- plain hard-working people

familiar stresses the fact of being generally known and easily recognized.

- a familiar melody

popular applies to what is accepted by or prevalent among people in general sometimes in contrast to upper classes or special groups.

- a writer of popular romances

vulgar, otherwise similar to popular, is likely to carry derogatory connotations (as of inferiority or coarseness).

- souvenirs designed to appeal to the vulgar taste

evident, manifest, patent, distinct, obvious, apparent, plain, clear mean readily perceived or apprehended. evident implies presence of visible signs that lead one to a definite conclusion.

- an evident fondness for sweets

manifest implies an external display so evident that little or no inference is required.

- manifest hostility

patent applies to a cause, effect, or significant feature that is clear and unmistakable once attention has been directed to it.

- patent defects

distinct implies such sharpness of outline or definition that no unusual effort to see or hear or comprehend is required.

- a distinct refusal

obvious implies such ease in discovering that it often suggests conspicuousness or little need for perspicacity in the observer.

- the obvious solution

apparent is very close to evident except that it may imply more conscious exercise of inference.

- for no apparent reason

plain suggests lack of intricacy, complexity, or elaboration.

- her feelings about him are plain

clear implies an absence of anything that confuses the mind or obscures the pattern.

- a clear explanation

frank, candid, open, plain mean showing willingness to tell what one feels or thinks. frank stresses lack of shyness or secretiveness or of evasiveness from considerations of tact or expedience.