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Synonyms

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.
no-frills British  

adjective

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

    a no-frills airline
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of no-frills

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

No frills and authentic, with a collection of leather jackets and bright monochrome blazers.

From Washington Post • Nov. 9, 2022

No frills, just the basics for a pro.

From New York Times • May 19, 2020

“As in liturgy. Or a declaration of love. No frills, just infinity.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2017

Commenting on his outfit, Capaldi said: "He's woven the future from the cloth of the past. Simple, stark, and back to basics. No frills, no scarf, no messing, just 100% Rebel Time Lord."

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2014

No frills, no literary graces, no flashes of wit except an occasional restrained touch of sarcasm: the writing was in the purest style and of a classic simplicity.

From Success A Novel by Adams, Samuel Hopkins

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.