no-frills

[noh-frilz]

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.

no-frills

adjective

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

   a no-frills airline

Word History and Origins

Origin of no-frills¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Under normal circumstances, Penelope would have been surprised that the usually no-frills Miss Mortimer had chosen such an elegant restaurant for their meeting.

Read more on Literature

Under pressure from shareholders, Southwest, formerly known as a no-frills airline, backed off of its decades-old open-seating tradition to offer tiered seating starting in January.

Read more on MarketWatch

The company’s no-frills hotels appeal to a wide range of travelers, an advantage in a country where a growing middle class means more age groups are traveling, from students to retirees, she said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But the longer his romp through the tournament went on, the more obvious it became that Alcaraz’s no-frills haircut was part of his preparation for battle.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The no-frills approach has made it difficult to integrate some of her older work, particularly the ornate psych-folk tunes from “Solar Power.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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