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
Relevance
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plainly
Adverb
-
There is no overlap between the play and Aira’s life; certainly there’s no anger against the dying of the light in Aira.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
22 June 2025 -
Oscar Bobb generally gets far more assists than goals, too, but with those five players, as well as Rayan Cherki, City certainly have enough numbers for the wide roles, even if goals are not yet assured.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
Adverb
-
Al is sincerely devoted to her profession, and sees the act of putting smiles on the faces of sick children as a vocation.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
13 June 2025
-
For all the pushback, if district residents sincerely want a voice in Congress that can cast actual votes any time soon, retrocession is probably their best bet.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
13 June 2025
Adverb
-
If Newsom’s podcast supplied the most humiliating audio of the new Trump era, the most humiliating image was surely a photo of Whitmer physically hiding in the Oval Office as Trump signed orders to investigate a pair of first-term officials who went on to criticize him.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
20 June 2025
-
At Bonwit, Edna surely works for Gene Moore, the window artist who came to work for Bonwit in 1945.—
John Birdsall
June 20,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
Adverb
-
This is nature storytelling flipped inside out, spotlighting the overlooked, misunderstood, and just plain bizarre animals that keep ecosystems humming behind the scenes.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
-
If some of Meghan Markle’s other social media posts have bordered on cringe, well, this one is just plain cute….—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
16 June 2025
Adverb
-
And that, my fellow leaders, is a rare privilege that is definitely worth the cost.—
Joe Altieri,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
-
The 6-1, 215-pound four-star from Illinois definitely improved his stock.—
Bruce Feldman,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Adverb
-
But overall, he’s clearly put in some work on the whole public speaking thing.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
-
With Gi-hun’s sacrifice, the baby is declared the winner of the games, and In-ho — clearly inspired by the selfless choice that Gi-hun has made, and what he’s proven about the good in humanity — goes to collect the baby and bring her to safety.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
27 June 2025
Adverb
-
That is, being able to share openly and honestly about their inner worlds.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
-
But honestly, hydrating your face with moisturizer is really important.—
Essence,
Essence,
24 June 2025
Adverb
-
So sure, if Elon Musk wants to use his resources to do that, great.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
8 June 2025
-
But a few more seven-inning starts sure would make a difference.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Plainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plainly. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share