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
The grocery store has implemented all kinds of cost-cutting processes to bring savings home for customers, from no-frills shelf displays to the brand’s signature Twice-As-Nice return policy.
—
Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2025
The no-frills matching set features a comfy quarter-zip pullover sweatshirt and coordinating wide-leg pants.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 20 Sep. 2025
Fellow no-frills air carrier Frontier also made news yesterday.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
The line often stretches out the door, a testament to the café’s reputation as one of Nashville’s most beloved no-frills eateries.
—Rai Mincey, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for no-frills
Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2025
The no-frills matching set features a comfy quarter-zip pullover sweatshirt and coordinating wide-leg pants.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 20 Sep. 2025
Fellow no-frills air carrier Frontier also made news yesterday.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
The line often stretches out the door, a testament to the café’s reputation as one of Nashville’s most beloved no-frills eateries.
—Rai Mincey, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for no-frills
Recent Examples of Synonyms for no-frills
Adjective
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With ski season only a few weeks away, the Vail Pass rest area reopened to the public on Tuesday with a bigger, better building that replaced a spartan structure built in 1980.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
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That day, a small television in my spartan hotel lobby showed the second tower of the World Trade Center collapse.—
Dr. Tom Frieden,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Jared Jewelers Bulova Phantom Watch A watch is both practical and fashionable, and this style adds a touch of sparkle to simple outfits.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
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Each year, as the temperature rises, the town’s regular population of around 300 swells with thousands of kids soaking up the simple pleasures of the great outdoors.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In the cold and austere German winter (a far cry from Dakar’s physical and cultural warmth), an anxious Nourou acts up outside a hotel and is accosted by a Polish security guard, setting off a minor chain reaction in which Maja intervenes on his behalf, much to his chagrin.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
28 Sep. 2025
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Director Alexandre Aja, an expert at tight, austere horror films, builds tension with the ruthless efficiency of a sadistic engineer, but Crawl never feels cheap or opportunistic.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“No-frills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/no-frills. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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