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
To put it plainly, there is no foreboding El Niño cloud that will appear above your house, and many random weather events will still occur that have few, if any, tangible links to the weather phenomenon.
—
Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
To put it plainly, your people are not the bottleneck.
—Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
What kind of developer puts his money into an indie documentary that might give his business-as-usual peers — not to mention investors, luxury condo buyers and other beneficiaries of Miami’s prolonged but problematic and plainly inequitable real-estate boom — a conniption?
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Gaspar’s campaign disputed Girvan’s characterization of the encounter, saying the exchange took place publicly onstage immediately after the debate while recording equipment remained plainly visible.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 14 May 2026
Say the plan plainly and notice who is ready to help.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026
Mladenov stated plainly that the plan envisioned in the ceasefire was off to a rocky start.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
To put it plainly, Jon Bernthal‘s anti-hero Punisher does a lot of killing in his Marvel Special Presentation.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 May 2026
The Pisces Moon trine Jupiter favors agreements, good timing, and ideas that travel well when spoken plainly.
—Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 May 2026
Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
To put it plainly, your people are not the bottleneck.
—Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
What kind of developer puts his money into an indie documentary that might give his business-as-usual peers — not to mention investors, luxury condo buyers and other beneficiaries of Miami’s prolonged but problematic and plainly inequitable real-estate boom — a conniption?
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
Gaspar’s campaign disputed Girvan’s characterization of the encounter, saying the exchange took place publicly onstage immediately after the debate while recording equipment remained plainly visible.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 14 May 2026
Say the plan plainly and notice who is ready to help.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026
Mladenov stated plainly that the plan envisioned in the ceasefire was off to a rocky start.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
To put it plainly, Jon Bernthal‘s anti-hero Punisher does a lot of killing in his Marvel Special Presentation.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 May 2026
The Pisces Moon trine Jupiter favors agreements, good timing, and ideas that travel well when spoken plainly.
—Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plainly
Adverb
-
What is striking about this moment is that America is not merely acknowledging the Jewish roots of some of its values historically, but openly turning again to a distinctly Jewish practice as a possible source of wisdom for the present.—
Ari Berman,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
The controversy also took a turn after the discovery of a March 2026 interview with outlet El Nuevo Día in which Díaz openly discussed his family’s involvement in the underground circuit.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Adverb
-
The core of Cunningham, Duren and Thompson will be what the Pistons almost certainly seek to build around during a pivotal offseason.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
The most conspicuous symptom of this transition, certainly, was the contortion of the nation-state, and the resulting unravelling of political cultures built up over many decades.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Adverb
-
Take a few extra moments to double-check your space, thank your host sincerely, and leave on a warm, unhurried note.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
22 May 2026
-
Sometimes people do sincerely want feedback on why their offer wasn’t good enough.—
John Richardson
Attia Qureshi,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
Adverb
-
She surely was also exposed to Madame Charlotte Mentelle’s feminist beliefs and abolitionist leanings.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Also inexplicable is the movie’s setting circa the dawn of COVID, where masks and quarantine come into play — though for many out there, that was surely a time when relapses were around the bend, the temptation of a bender without judgment and out of view very easily had.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
Adverb
-
One glance at Kara Young’s résumé makes the truth of that statement plain enough.—
Juan A. Ramírez,
Vogue,
8 May 2026
-
Nearly unbeatable during the regular season, the Kansas City Mavericks are looking plain unstoppable now that the playoffs are underway.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
Adverb
-
An important element of the concept is that guests shouldn’t go hungry and definitely not starve.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 May 2026
-
So there are definitely going to be people that will support other candidates.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
22 May 2026
Adverb
-
Wild-eyed in a register that ranges from dreamy to terrified to stunned into submission, her performance is the most honestly felt thing here.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
18 May 2026
-
Yet that cannot be wielded, either logically or honestly, as an excuse for imposing war on the noble Cuban people.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Adverb
-
Republicans clearly have more easy opportunities to draw friendly districts going forward.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
-
The strongest bond is the one that knows how to meet you clearly.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plainly. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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