unvarnished

adjective

un·​var·​nished ˌən-ˈvär-nisht 

1

a

: not adorned or glossed : plain, straightforward

told the unvarnished truth

b

: artless, frank

… the unvarnished candor of old people and children.

—Janet Flanner

2

: not coated with or as if with varnish : crude, unfinished

Synonyms of unvarnished

• simple
• plain
• unadorned
• naked

Examples of unvarnished in a Sentence

If you want my unvarnished opinion, the movie stinks.

I'm telling the unvarnished truth.

Recent Examples on the Web

At least three were heard in an unvarnished conversation about Kings players Ben Simmons and Zach LaVine that took a personal turn. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Bringing in a specialized agency gave us an unvarnished, external perspective to audit our messaging, stress-test executive positioning and call out corporate fluff. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Sep. 2026

That unvarnished honesty, the willingness to take themselves down a notch, clearly resonated with the audience of young people accustomed to spending hours each day swiping through content engineered to mask imperfection. — Antonio Ferme, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026

The latter material adds a raw dimension that says as much about the sensual curves of her figures as their unvarnished material. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for unvarnished

• garnished
• tarnished
• varnished
• untarnished

Kids Definition

unvarnished

adjective

un·​var·​nished ˌən-ˈvär-nisht 

ˈən-

1

: not adorned or exaggerated : plain

the unvarnished truth

2

: not varnished