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’s pretty boring when it’s just plain Jane black-and-white shoes. I like to spice my shoes up a little bit, add some extra flair.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 9, 2023
The relationship is actually quite a bit more plain Jane than a lot of other relationships in the show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
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
She was plain Jane Richard before she married Ralph Percy, younger brother of the 11th Duke of Northumberland, in 1979.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 25, 2015
"If my name had been plain Jane or even Mary, my reputation would have been safe."
From Paradise Garden The Satirical Narrative of a Great Experiment by Gibbs, George
A plain-Jane Nike sneaker: white with a red swoosh and red heel.
From New York Times ● Aug. 10, 2021
John F. Kennedy’s was a high point of style and elegance, a declaration that glamour had returned after the plain-Jane years of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 16, 2017
Mary Ann Stewart let the fervor under Thérèse's plain-Jane exterior slowly emerge until finally overwhelming her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 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
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.
