plaintext

noun

plain·​text ˈplān-ˌtekst How to pronounce plaintext (audio)
: the intelligible form of an encrypted text or of its elements compare ciphertext

Examples of plaintext in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The complaint also noted that Meta employees receive plaintext WhatsApp messages that are reported to the company by fellow WhatsApp users. Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2026 And remember a few weeks ago when Microsoft was in hot water for plaintext passwords in Edge? Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 22 May 2026 Common programming languages such as Python or Rust, which contain roughly understandable plaintext commands for arithmetic operations, didn’t exist back then. Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 12 May 2026 Too much sensitive enterprise data is already exposed in usable plaintext at the layers where most work happens—inside applications, documents, SaaS platforms, databases, code bases, collaboration systems and emerging AI workflows. Karim Eldefrawy, Forbes.com, 11 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for plaintext

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of plaintext was in 1918

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Cite this Entry

“Plaintext.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaintext. Accessed 26 May. 2026.

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