as in spartan
providing only the essentials and nothing fancy or luxurious
a low-cost, no-frills vacation during which we camped out and cooked our own meals
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Recent Examples of no-frills
Don’t miss the on-site spa and refreshing outdoor pool—both rare amenities in this no-frills beach town.
—
Liz Provencher, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2026
Weighing less than most rooftop tents and taking up far less space than a camper, the simple, no-frills solution is always at the ready for a camping trip but stows completely out of the way for unencumbered everyday commuting and cargo hauling.
—New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
Mendoza also has taken a no-frills approach.
—Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Goodstop stores are smaller, no-frills locations that focus on fuel and snacks without a full kitchen.
—Philip Joens, Des Moines Register, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for no-frills
Liz Provencher, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2026
Weighing less than most rooftop tents and taking up far less space than a camper, the simple, no-frills solution is always at the ready for a camping trip but stows completely out of the way for unencumbered everyday commuting and cargo hauling.
—New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
Mendoza also has taken a no-frills approach.
—Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Goodstop stores are smaller, no-frills locations that focus on fuel and snacks without a full kitchen.
—Philip Joens, Des Moines Register, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for no-frills
Recent Examples of Synonyms for no-frills
Adjective
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On Thursday mornings, my high school’s upper grades gathered in our meetinghouse—a spartan, Italianate-style building whose wooden benches bore the etchings of a century and a half of antsy pencils and fingernails—and, for an hour, sat in near-total silence.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
22 Jan. 2026
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Better is Danny Elfman’s spartan and fraught score, particularly the dyspeptic drums.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Even as Trump looks to boost American hydrocarbon profits in Venezuela, the gas tap for Europe is a simple – and likely effective – tool that could be used as leverage by the White House.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
22 Jan. 2026
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Brooklyn Councilmember Lincoln Restler participated in a double red blood cell donation, calling it a simple but powerful way to help others.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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From Demonstration To Deployment The system has operated unmanned, 24/7, with zero power outages—an achievement the company points to as proof of fuel-free operations in austere environments.—
Geri Stengel,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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The goal is to agree on a conservation and dam-operations deal to last 20 years and replace a 2007 set of guidelines that have proven insufficiently austere to preserve reservoir storage in the face of 25 years of regional aridification.—
Brandon Loomis,
AZCentral.com,
17 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“No-frills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/no-frills. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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