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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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Recent Examples of plainly
Carlile includes some of her most plainly autobiographical lyrics, at the beginning and end (like her first plane trip, one state over, to Idaho, as an adult, an anecdote familiar from her bestselling memoir of a few years back).
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
What happens when a candidate speaks plainly?
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
In a small and plainly shot movie that spends most of its time on Gaslighting 101, sublimates its true premise into the stuff of a late reveal, and whose only sequence of genre-forward suspense is a predictable snooze, such rare moments of real texture stand out all too much.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025
This is plainly and simply a selfish decision on his part.
—ABC News, 19 Oct. 2025
Maybe that’s a delicate dance even for Drinkwitz, who invoked the Alabama game several times but semi-playfully chided the media for relevant questions about the stuff that plainly needs to be shored up.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2025
A lot of this occurs off-page, in contrast to the movie, which spells things out incredibly plainly.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
The people who are buying it are, plainly, making an investment based on extramusical reasons.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
This season, Robertson-Harris plays for the New York Giants, whose London experiences have been plainly brilliant.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
What happens when a candidate speaks plainly?
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
In a small and plainly shot movie that spends most of its time on Gaslighting 101, sublimates its true premise into the stuff of a late reveal, and whose only sequence of genre-forward suspense is a predictable snooze, such rare moments of real texture stand out all too much.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025
This is plainly and simply a selfish decision on his part.
—ABC News, 19 Oct. 2025
Maybe that’s a delicate dance even for Drinkwitz, who invoked the Alabama game several times but semi-playfully chided the media for relevant questions about the stuff that plainly needs to be shored up.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2025
A lot of this occurs off-page, in contrast to the movie, which spells things out incredibly plainly.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
The people who are buying it are, plainly, making an investment based on extramusical reasons.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
This season, Robertson-Harris plays for the New York Giants, whose London experiences have been plainly brilliant.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plainly
Adverb
-
Parents should discuss digital safety openly.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
That tension brings the conversation back to Mamdani, whose campaign, Piker argues, has tested those boundaries more openly than most.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
But, in his first game back from a knee sprain, Bichette certainly didn’t look comfortable doing it.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Kansas redshirt-sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson certainly showed Friday he’s recovered from patellar tendon surgery that forced him to redshirt the 2024-25 campaign.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
My parents’ house is sincerely stunning; my mom designed the whole thing.—
Bryce Jones,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Gee previously rejected many of Dunbar’s other legal claims, but left it up to a jury to decide whether his religious beliefs are sincerely held.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
This was an impressive tournament that will have surely turned heads.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Many blue-city residents who have noticed a decrease in crime surely appreciate the safer streets, an environment that tired old No Kings boomers will never have to navigate.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Some of it just plain blows the mind.—
Nick Tzitzon,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
-
But that doesn’t stop it from being just plain cool.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
13 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
The vibes are definitely compromised around Anfield.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Some other state, possibly culminating in a singularity but definitely not an inflationary state itself, must have preceded it.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Gene’s was straightforwardly, familiarly brutal—severe cardiovascular disease.—
Joy Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Jeff looks at things very straightforwardly and is damned fearless, right?—
Fortune Editors,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
But the Juventus coach clearly does pay attention to what is said about him and his team.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The Dallas Federal Reserve’s September Energy Survey noted that the energy business activity index, the broadest measure of energy firm conditions, remained clearly in negative territory.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plainly. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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