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
Anyone driving through the eight square miles of Haslet could see plainly that the city’s residents cared about this election; candidates’ signs lined neighborhood streets.
—
Rachel Royster
may 5, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 May 2026
Then the singer, who has struggled with kidney stones, plainly laid out what has been causing her grief.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
The men on this album are, to put it plainly, weenies.
—Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
However, her origin myth, in which she was hatched from an egg laid by her mother, Leda, who had been ravished by Zeus in the guise of a swan, is plainly invention.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
As his fame has grown, fans have started turning up in Strafford — and Kahan has asked them, plainly, to stop.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
But, given that the NCAA has a pretty strong stance on gambling, and rules are plainly stated, getting an injunction seems like a tough path.
—Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
At the 1952 conference of the National Association of Amusement Parks, Pools, and Beaches, Ed Schott of Cincinnati’s Coney Island put it plainly.
—Roland Betancourt, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Brown said it plainly afterward, pointing to the numbers that showed where the Knicks lost control.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
Rachel Royster
may 5, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 May 2026
Then the singer, who has struggled with kidney stones, plainly laid out what has been causing her grief.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
The men on this album are, to put it plainly, weenies.
—Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
However, her origin myth, in which she was hatched from an egg laid by her mother, Leda, who had been ravished by Zeus in the guise of a swan, is plainly invention.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
As his fame has grown, fans have started turning up in Strafford — and Kahan has asked them, plainly, to stop.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
But, given that the NCAA has a pretty strong stance on gambling, and rules are plainly stated, getting an injunction seems like a tough path.
—Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
At the 1952 conference of the National Association of Amusement Parks, Pools, and Beaches, Ed Schott of Cincinnati’s Coney Island put it plainly.
—Roland Betancourt, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Brown said it plainly afterward, pointing to the numbers that showed where the Knicks lost control.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plainly
Adverb
-
The practice has surged in popularity as celebrities and pro athletes openly share their routines.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Even commentators who are openly critical have begun to borrow the same phrasing, the same rhythm, the same constant escalation.—
Atom Ariola,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Campbell has certainly been doing that this spring for the Crusaders.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
Throughout it all, Powell steered the Federal Open Market Committee to mostly unanimous decisions, building consensus across 11 other central bankers who almost certainly didn’t agree with him or each other.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Adverb
-
At that time, the other co-founders were sincerely questioning both Musk and Altman’s motivations for wanting to become OpenAI’s CEO.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The Lebanese government sincerely wants to take control of the south and disarm and contain Hezbollah.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The most idealistic former President was surely Jimmy Carter, whose projects ranged from building housing for the poor to battling to eradicate guinea-worm disease in Africa.—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Andrew Chismer made this point on our pages this week in a smart Opinion piece on the unconscionable snarls on Halsted Street near the city’s new casino, to which many future customers will surely drive.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Adverb
-
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
-
The Louisville Basketball Claim At a University of Louisville basketball practice during the 1978-79 season, forward Wiley Brown went to give his teammate Derek Smith a plain old low five.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Netflix is definitely still hungry for its first Best Picture win, and Gerwig has not been the type to show any aversion to awards campaigns.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
-
The Idea of You (2024) Ah, yes, the recent streaming hit that cast Annie as a single mom who falls in love with a young Über-famous pop star who is definitely not named Schmarry Schmiles.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Adverb
-
And honestly, what would accountability even look like?—
Louis Martinez,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But honestly, would anyone really notice if KEIB dropped talk?—
Richard Wagoner,
Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Still, momentum is clearly on Philadelphia’s side.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
What got centered were the perfunctory tasks government defaults to when everyone is stretched thin — checking the legal and regulatory boxes for approval, designing detour protocols, posting the orange signs in the right places and marking the lane closures clearly.—
Andrew Chrismer,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plainly. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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