plain

[ pleyn ]

See synonyms for: plain plains plainly plainness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,plain·er, plain·est.

clear or distinct to the eye or ear: a plain trail to the river;to stand in plain view.
clear to the mind; evident, manifest, or obvious: to make one's meaning plain.

conveying the meaning clearly and simply; easily understood: plain talk.
downright; sheer; utter; self-evident: plain folly;plain stupidity.
free from ambiguity or evasion; candid; outspoken: the plain truth of the matter.
without special pretensions, superiority, elegance, etc.; ordinary: plain people.
not beautiful; physically unattractive or undistinguished: a plain face.
without intricacies or difficulties.
ordinary, simple, or unostentatious: Although she was a duchess, her manners were attractively plain.
with little or no embellishment, decoration, or enhancing elaboration: a plain blue suit.
without a pattern, figure, or device: a plain fabric.
not rich, highly seasoned, or elaborately prepared, as food: a plain diet.
flat or level: plain country.
unobstructed, clear, or open, as ground, a space, etc.
Cards. being other than a face card or a trump.

adverb

clearly and simply: He's just plain stupid.

noun

an area of land not significantly higher than adjacent areas and with relatively minor differences in elevation, commonly less than 500 feet (150 meters), within the area.
The Plains. Great Plains.

Idioms about plain

in plain sight. See entry at in plain sight.

Origin of plain

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English adjective, adverb, and noun plain(e), plein(e), from Old French adjective and noun plain(e), pleine, from Latin plānus “flat, level,” plānum “flat country”

synonym study For plain

10. See homely.

Other words for plain

1, 2	lucid, understandable, intelligible, unmistakable, apparent, perspicuous
2, 3	unambiguous, unequivocal, patent, transparent
5	unreserved, straightforward, direct, blunt, frank, ingenuous, open, sincere
6	unpretentious
10	unadorned

See synonyms for plain on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for plain

1	indistinct
2	obscure
13	hilly

See antonyms for plain on Thesaurus.com

Other words from plain

plain·ly, adverb
plain·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with plain

plain , plan, plane

Words Nearby plain

Other definitions for plain (2 of 2)

plain²

[ pleyn ]

verb (used without object)British Dialect.

to complain.

Origin of plain

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English plei(g)nen, plene(n), from Anglo-French plainer, pleiner, Old French plaign-, stem of plaindre, pleindre, from Latin plangere “to strike, beat (the breast, etc.), lament”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use plain in a sentence

These microbes had been living beneath a vast, flat, sediment-covered plain.
Some deep-seafloor microbes still alive after 100 million years! | Carolyn Gramling | September 1, 2020 | Science News For Students
If I’m rolling into a Starbucks, in plain sight of lots of foot traffic, and the rack’s right out front, my odds are decent this is enough deterrent to ward off the baddies.
The most secure ways to lock up your bike | By Michael Frank/Cycle Volta | August 26, 2020 | Popular-Science
One of the main challenges in curing cancer is that unlike foreign invaders, tumor cells are part of the body and so able to hide in plain sight.
Scientists Used Protein Switches to Turn T-Cells Into Cancer-Fighting Guided Missiles | Edd Gent | August 24, 2020 | Singularity Hub
In the US, for instance, the Food and Drug Administration approved chloroquine for treating covid-19, only to reverse itself weeks later after it became plain the drug didn’t work.
Every country wants a covid-19 vaccine. Who will get it first? | Katie McLean | August 13, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
Researchers, led by microbiologist Yuki Morono of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology in Kochi, examined sediments collected in 2010 from part of the abyssal plain beneath the South Pacific Gyre.
These ancient seafloor microbes woke up after over 100 million years | Carolyn Gramling | July 28, 2020 | Science News

Yet, much like the fate that fell the first season, ratings just plain weren't good.
‘The Comeback’ Finale: Give Lisa Kudrow All of the Awards | Kevin Fallon | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Thanks to the Atlanta case, they can now see another in plain sight.
A Gift to the Jihadis: The Unseen Airport Security Threat | Clive Irving | December 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Because holy hell was that bland, unfunny, uncomfortable, and just plain confusing.
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and More | Kevin Fallon | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It is already well known that there are oilrigs disguised in plain sight all over the city.
The Fiery Underground Oil Pit Eating L.A. | Geoff Manaugh | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A report by the Cleveland plain Dealer describes balloons being released into the night sky.
The Cleveland Cops Who Fired 137 Shots and Cried Victim | Michael Daly | December 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But what a magnificent plain is this we are entering upon: it is of immense extent.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846 | Various
A far-off volley rumbled over the plain, and a few birds stirred uneasily among the trees.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
There are many more good dwellings on this plain than in the rural portion of Lower Italy.
Glances at Europe | Horace Greeley
The word of the law shall be fulfilled without a lie, and wisdom shall be made plain in the mouth of the faithful.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
Here there is no question of emergency, or enemy pressure, or of haste; so much we see plain enough with our own eyes.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for plain (1 of 2)

plain¹

/ (pleɪn) /

adjective

flat or smooth; level
not complicated; clear: the plain truth

not difficult; simple or easy: a plain task
honest or straightforward
lowly, esp in social rank or education
without adornment or show: a plain coat
(of fabric) without pattern or of simple untwilled weave
not attractive
not mixed; simple: plain vodka
knitting of or done in plain

noun

a level or almost level tract of country, esp an extensive treeless region
a simple stitch in knitting made by putting the right needle into a loop on the left needle, passing the wool round the right needle, and pulling it through the loop, thus forming a new loop

(in billiards)
- the unmarked white ball, as distinguished from the spot balls
- the player using this ball
(in Ireland) short for plain porter, a light porter: two pints of plain, please

adverb

(intensifier): just plain tired

Origin of plain

C13: from Old French: simple, from Latin plānus level, distinct, clear

See also plains

Derived forms of plain

plainly, adverb
plainness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for plain (2 of 2)

plain²

/ (pleɪn) /

verb

a dialect or poetic word for complain

Origin of plain

C14 pleignen, from Old French plaindre to lament, from Latin plangere to beat

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

Scientific definitions for plain

plain

[ plān ]

An extensive, relatively level area of land. Plains are present on all continents except Antarctica and are most often located in the interior regions. Because they can occur at almost any altitude or latitude, plains can be humid and forested, semiarid and grass-covered, or arid.
A broad, level expanse, such as an area of the sea floor or a lunar mare.

Other Idioms and Phrases with plain

plain

In addition to the idioms beginning with plain

plain as day
plain sailing

also see:

in plain English

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