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

• bald
• bare
• naked
• plain
• plain-vanilla
• simple
• unadorned
• undecorated
• unembellished
• unornamented

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

This form of unvarnished honesty can be incredibly refreshing in an environment where jargon and double-speak run rampant. —Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025

Though Jobs shut down the idea of an America iPhone flat out with Obama, Cook hasn’t taken the same unvarnished approach. —Kif Leswing, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2025

Her earlier work, unvarnished, passionate, and direct, delivers blunt messages. —Fernando Gonzalez, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025

That understanding includes an unvarnished view of the purpose of Confederate monuments. —Christine Ledbetter, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025

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