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plain

/pleɪn/noun, verb, adjective, adverb1 syllable

Plain means: not elaborate or elaborated; simple.

Synonyms for plain72

noun, as in a basic knitting stitch made by putting the needle through the front of the stitch from the lefthand side

knit, knit stitch, plain stitch

noun, as in extensive tract of level open land

field, champaign

verb, as in express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness

complain, kick, sound off, quetch, kvetch

adjective, as in not elaborate or elaborated; simple

austere, severe, stark, stern, bare, mere, simple, chaste, dry, featureless, homely, inelaborate, unelaborate, literal
and 7 more, tailored, trim, vanilla, unadorned, undecorated, unrhetorical, unpretentious

adjective, as in clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

apparent, evident, manifest, palpable, patent, unmistakable, obvious

adjective, as in lacking embellishment or ornamentation

bare, spare, unembellished, unornamented, unadorned, undecorated

adjective, as in not mixed with extraneous elements

sheer, unmingled, unmixed, pure

adjective, as in lacking patterns especially in color

unpatterned, solid-colored, solid-coloured

adjective, as in free from any effort to soften to disguise

unvarnished, direct

adjective, as in lacking in physical beauty or proportion

homely, unattractive

adverb, as in unmistakably (‘plain’ is often used informally for ‘plainly’)

obviously, evidently, manifestly, patently, apparently, plainly

also used for plain

no-frills, bare-bones, bargain, basic, cheap, default, discreet, blatant, ostensible, arrant, undoubted, glaring, bait, clear, clear as a bell

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of plain

fancy, patterned

What does plain mean?11

adjective

1

not elaborate or elaborated; simple“plain food”

2

clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment“the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields”

3

lacking embellishment or ornamentation“a plain hair style”

4

not mixed with extraneous elements“plain water”

5

lacking patterns especially in color

6

free from any effort to soften to disguise“the plain and unvarnished truth”

7

lacking in physical beauty or proportion“a homely child”

adverb

1

unmistakably (‘plain’ is often used informally for ‘plainly’)“the answer is obviously wrong”

verb

1

express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness“My mother complains all day”

noun

1

a basic knitting stitch made by putting the needle through the front of the stitch from the lefthand side

2

extensive tract of level open land“they emerged from the woods onto a vast open plain”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with plain?60

Show 40 near rhymes

All 60 rhymes for plain, grouped by syllable

Plain in a sentence

  • That isn't a literal translation, it's just plain wrong.Jesse
  • Some reptiles have a plain body, others a scaly body.jimkillock
  • What he did is, in plain language, fraud.JimBreen
  • I have heard fifty versions, some credible, some plain fable.Cangarejo
  • This plain is full of tulips, poppies, and roses.carlosalberto
  • He prefers plain, simple people, for he is plain and simple himself.Source_Benedict_1921
  • Now there is nothing but desert, where there used to be a fertile plain.al_ex_an_der
  • They sold shampoo and conditioner, but no plain soap.Just_Balls

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of plain

as a noun

plural
plains

as a verb

third-person singular
plains
present participle
plaining
past participle
plained
past tense
plained

as a adjective

comparative
plainer
superlative
plainest