as in simple
free from all additions or embellishment
I'm telling the unvarnished truth
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Recent Examples of unvarnished
But as always, these writers-directors present an unvarnished look at life on the margins, following a group of adolescent mothers, some of them single.
—
Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Like the rest of Italy, so many answers can be found in the kitchen, and some of Sicily’s finest food can be bought roadside or in its energetic, unvarnished markets, where rituals as old as the mottled walls unfold.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
These performances are forthright, unvarnished.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
In these allegories of dehumanization, greed, and hope, Marshall takes an unvarnished view of his subjects, one that doesn’t sugarcoat the past or succumb to nostalgia for a mythical, precolonial Golden Age.
—James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unvarnished
Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Like the rest of Italy, so many answers can be found in the kitchen, and some of Sicily’s finest food can be bought roadside or in its energetic, unvarnished markets, where rituals as old as the mottled walls unfold.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
These performances are forthright, unvarnished.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
In these allegories of dehumanization, greed, and hope, Marshall takes an unvarnished view of his subjects, one that doesn’t sugarcoat the past or succumb to nostalgia for a mythical, precolonial Golden Age.
—James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unvarnished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unvarnished
Adjective
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Olive oil is also used to dress simple salads, roasted vegetables, and a host of other dishes.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Feb. 2026
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Others have argued that the game represents a simple life that is becoming harder to obtain.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The chairs were plain and cane-bottomed.—
Josh Ireland,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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Opponents of Village Farms worry about building so many homes on a flood plain, especially one so close to an unlined landfill that could be leaking toxic chemicals.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Transfer unadorned squares to an airtight food storage container and store at room temperature for 3 to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Feb. 2026
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But the parts of this show that work are the ones that traffic in unadorned truth.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Far from merely giving orders, directors are participants in a social reality in which the most important results aren’t the naked-eye ones of deeds achieved but the magic infinitesimal moments that expand into big-screen spectacles.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
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What to expect Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch with the naked eye.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unvarnished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unvarnished. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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