no-frills

American  

[noh-frilz] / ˈnoʊˌfrɪlz /

adjective

1. providing or including basic services and necessities without any additional features or amenities.

   Food and beverages are not covered by the low no-frills airfare.

2. no-name.

3. unadorned; simple; plain; spare.

   a straightforward, no-frills package of healthcare benefits.

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no-frills British  

adjective

1. offering only a basic service in order to keep costs low

   a no-frills airline

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Etymology

Origin of no-frills

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Spirit returned to bankruptcy court in August, less than a year after a previous chapter 11 restructuring failed to solve financial challenges posed by its no-frills business model.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

In 1977, a swashbuckling British entrepreneur named Freddy Laker launched the Skytrain, a no-frills, low-fare flight between London and New York.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

“It sounds like a wartime diary,” Maye Quade said in an interview with Slate, but it wasn’t only that the senator gave a no-frills, boots-on-the-ground perspective that drew so much attention to her video.

From Slate • Jan. 23, 2026

Southwest Airlines’ stock on Wednesday rode a wave of renewed optimism about U.S. airlines in the new year, including a prediction from Barclays that the once no-frills air carrier will be more profitable in 2026.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 17, 2025

I drank lots of yogurt smoothies and ate lots of low-salt no-frills tortilla chips.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

Related Words

• elemental
• essential
• key
• main
• necessary
• primary
• primitive
• underlying
• vital