PLAINLY Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

plainly

adverb

Definition of plainly

as in openly

in an honest and direct manner you'll have to tell your relatives very plainly that you don't like perfume, or they'll keep giving it to you

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in certainly

without any question your wife is plainly upset that you didn't invite her to the game with us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of plainly The vestiges of his fading memory flash by with a haunting plainness, the melancholy of all this Americana and the sadness of a mind ravaged by time strike the viewer plainly at the end of this maximalist piece of life-writing. — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026 But like a lot of plainly heroic characters controlled by a studio specializing in children’s stories, Vision’s emotional journey is slight. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026 More than once, a board told its stakeholders early and plainly that I had been hired to redesign the business and that the directors stood behind the changes. — Anna Maria Chavez, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026 Material necessity plainly matters, as does the conviction that daughter names something a family cannot simply revoke. — Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026 The distinction matters because officials plainly exercise that discretion later in the season. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 If a product works for a specific age range, a specific temperature, a specific room size, a specific skin type, that needs to be stated plainly somewhere on the page. — Usman Ilyas, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026 In a September 2025 piece for Vogue, shopping market editor Andrea Zendejas made the case plainly. — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026 This is in stark contrast to more plainly colored moths, for example, which are the preferred prey of many airborne predators. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plainly

Adverb

First Proof’s rules require any entrants to be openly available, so OpenAI’s blockbuster new model was excluded.

— Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
Hollywood should be a city where Jewish residents can live openly, safely and proudly, without intimidation, hatred or antisemitism.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of openly

Adverb

The song makes clear that while Jake Shane might not be this generation’s Truman Capote, Troye Sivan certainly isn’t either.

— Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 14 Oct. 2026
There’s certainly many of these systems that have been found in nature, but a good number of them have gone on to be developed into useful tools.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of certainly

Adverb

And incumbents can sincerely believe important work remains unfinished.

— Nancy Forster-Holt, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
In a scene at the beginning of Episode 8, actor Siena Agudong, who plays Sue, expresses Flanagan’s belief that sincerely openhearted people like Carrie are met with rejection and seen as alien in a world where cynicism is our default mode.

— Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of sincerely

Adverb

Tyson, a student of boxing history, surely would have appreciated a deeper discussion of the role of the Black heavyweight champion in culture.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026
Unbearably painful and enraging for the one, surely pretty darn awkward for the other.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of surely

Adverb

Is this tobacco-spitting, plain-talking Jon Sumrall a coaching amalgamation of Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer?

— Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
For a movie that had once been generating top Oscar buzz, including a potential first win for Cruise, it has since been hit with critiques that have described it as baffling, brilliant or just plain bad.

— David Mack, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of plain

Adverb

The program leader spoke honestly about the work and the difference philanthropic support could make.

— Karen Cochran, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
The slip-ons have a clog-like feel, but the low-profile silhouette looks so luxurious—honestly, they could be mistaken for The Row.

— Melony Forcier, InStyle, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of honestly

Adverb

Problems emerge when those distinctive flavors don’t incorporate into the overall mix or too clearly smack of other artists’ sauce.

— Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 14 Oct. 2026
The key is helping prospective employers clearly see how those strengths translate to their current needs.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of clearly

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plain Janes

plainly

plainness

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“Plainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plainly. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of plainly

adverb

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