Synonyms of plainly

plainly

adverb

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

• openly
• sincerely
• plain
• honestly
• straightforwardly
• simply
• straightforward
• abruptly
• forthrightly
• directly
• straight
• frankly
• sharply
• baldly
• candidly
• bluntly
• earnestly
• unreservedly
• curtly
• brusquely
• rudely
• truthfully
• foursquare
• artlessly
• unguardedly
• gruffly
• inconsiderately
• impolitely
• openheartedly
• bluffly
• tactlessly
• veraciously
• point-blank

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• politely
• tactfully
• wordily
• courteously
• verbosely
• diplomatically
• civilly
• falsely
• erroneously
• mendaciously
• untruthfully
• deceitfully
• indirectly
• hypocritically
• long-windedly
• fallaciously
• ambiguously
• insincerely
• equivocally
• evasively
• circuitously

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

• certainly
• surely
• definitely
• clearly
• sure
• probably
• really
• undoubtedly
• likely
• easily
• truly
• assuredly
• so
• unquestionably
• undeniably
• indisputably
• damn well
• for certain
• doubtless
• indeed
• by all means
• possibly
• incontestably
• obviously
• perhaps
• incontrovertibly
• inarguably
• unarguably
• for sure
• all right
• alright
• by all odds
• forsooth
• conceivably
• unmistakably
• hands down

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of plainly

Put plainly, Birdbuddy is no longer running ahead of the pack. — Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 27 Sep. 2026

Illustration by Cristina Spanò The fact of declining birth rates, in societies of all types around the world, is plainly established. — Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2026

Torres confirmed to the Herald that the part-time positions are being eliminated, attributing it plainly to budget timing. — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026

The leaders who stand out right now are the ones who are willing to be understood plainly, in a room full of people who are all doing the same crowded, careful, forgettable thing. — Lynn Smith, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Michael Vermeer, a senior physical scientist at the RAND Corporation, puts it plainly. — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026

Sunderland have plainly missed that deadline this season too and four Premier League games have already been played, including a primetime hosting of champions Arsenal last Saturday evening. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

The ultimate result is, plainly, a crowd-pleaser — the good kind — engineered by someone who knows the difference between manipulating its audience and bringing genuine care and heart to a story. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026

The crash happens at the exact same second our main couple locks eyes, right over Gordon’s shoulder, plainly shown through the floor-to-ceiling window. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026