First recorded in 1910–15
First recorded in 1935–40
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It might be a more elegant solution to having a “time well-spent” phone than picking up a plain Jane feature phone or backing a Kickstarter for an in-betweener phone.
From The Verge ● Oct. 15, 2018
He took a plain Jane, '50s ranch house and turned it into a stylish 21st century home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2015
He falls in love with Jane Seymour, a quiet, enigmatic girl for whom the phrase "plain Jane" was first coined.
From Seattle Times ● May 4, 2012
Henry alights on wife No. 3, the plain Jane Seymour of Wolf Hall.
From Slate ● May 4, 2012
However, she meant when she was accepted to be plain Jane Brown.
From Love Stories by Rinehart, Mary Roberts
For me, the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed an unprecedented siege of self-criticism that began when I was an awkward 13-year-old with a mouth full of metal and plain-Jane brown hair.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2023
They make the plain-Jane mangu more attractive, lending the mash a saltiness and richness that are not part of its natural personality.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 22, 2015
Line frequently used by Michael in reference to George Michael's plain-Jane girlfriend Anne, whose name he regularly forgets, though he also on occasion calls her "Egg".
From The Guardian ● May 25, 2013
I just wanted a plain-Jane, full-priced model of a console that first went on sale in 2005.
From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2012
At a Democratic rally in Hyde Park last week, she wore a plain-Jane teal jacket and windowpane shawl.
From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2010
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
