1
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
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2
as in certainly
without any question
your wife is plainly upset that you didn't invite her to the game with us
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plainly
In the trailer, Morgan (Justine Lupe) puts it plainly for her and Joanne's podcast listeners.
—
Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Never mind that the Constitution very plainly says Congressional districts are to be drawn once every 10 years, just after the Census, and intended to last the full 10 years.
—Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
This fight was mostly terrible, to put it plainly.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
And Republicans are plainly worried about losing the chamber.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Much like her involvement in Newcastle’s 2021 takeover, Staveley might be the front for any future bid but would plainly not be the primary funder.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
This is psychoanalysis, plainly, and there is no escaping the mediation of the psyche.
—Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Ayala plainly accused Johnson of disregarding the city's police officers, saying the mayor only cares when there's a camera in front of him or when an officer is injured or killed in the line of duty.
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
To put it plainly, the crowd for McQueen already knows too much.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2025
Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Never mind that the Constitution very plainly says Congressional districts are to be drawn once every 10 years, just after the Census, and intended to last the full 10 years.
—Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
This fight was mostly terrible, to put it plainly.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
And Republicans are plainly worried about losing the chamber.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Much like her involvement in Newcastle’s 2021 takeover, Staveley might be the front for any future bid but would plainly not be the primary funder.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
This is psychoanalysis, plainly, and there is no escaping the mediation of the psyche.
—Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Ayala plainly accused Johnson of disregarding the city's police officers, saying the mayor only cares when there's a camera in front of him or when an officer is injured or killed in the line of duty.
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
To put it plainly, the crowd for McQueen already knows too much.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plainly
Adverb
-
Korean Cinema’s Crisis Was the Headline Far from being whispered about in corridors, Korean cinema’s crisis was front and center throughout BIFF, with industry leaders using the platform to openly diagnose challenges and seek solutions.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Either way, Bondi has set the stage for presidents to openly use the department to prosecute their political enemies, in a move that could come back to haunt Republicans if Democrats take control of the White House.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
But he was hired by the Yankees in 1949 and immediately led them to five straight World Series championships — a record that almost certainly never will be broken and launched him toward tying Joe McCarthy for the most in baseball history with seven.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Of the 10 million or so variations on the Negroni the Boulevardier is probably the oldest and almost certainly the best.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
27 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Wole returned his gaze, equally sincerely, but Sylvester jumped between them, grabbing Wole’s hand as their father let go.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
-
In criticizing how some Republicans reacted to Charlie Kirk's death, Jimmy Kimmel alleged that conservatives were using Kirk's assassination for political advantage rather than mourning the conservative activist sincerely.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Charlie Kirk may have made his name as a political activist, but he’ll surely be remembered just as much, if not more so, for his faith.—
Amy DeLaura,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Sep. 2025
-
After all, whether or not hell is real, murder surely is.—
Ed Simon
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Just plain ol’ regular folks ruling the world.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Even though temperatures are holding steady at just plain hot during the day here in the South, nighttime temperatures, thankfully, do drop some.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
21 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
My niche is definitely the leg lift.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Barceló Maya Grand Resort Xpu-Ha, Mexico At Barceló Maya Grand Resort, bigger is definitely better.—
Allison Tibaldi,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens are easier to clean straightforwardly with dish soap and warm water than their uncoated counterparts.—
Emily Johnson,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
22 Sep. 2025
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Notwithstanding its elaborately disordered presentation, the film’s more straightforwardly biographical material contains few surprises.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
20 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
One is to clearly define the human-AI partnership.—
Bob Violino,
CNBC,
24 Sep. 2025
-
This is partly the fault of the administration, which didn’t clearly explain the policy or the broader strategy.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plainly. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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