plain Jane
noun
a drab, unattractive, and generally uninteresting girl or woman.
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plain Jane
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plain-Jane
plain-Janeadjectivesimple and modest; unadorned; basic.
plain Jane
1 Americannoun
Informal.
plain-Jane
2
American
[playn-jayn]
/ ˈpleɪnˈdʒeɪn /
Or
plain-jane
adjective
Informal.
Etymology
Origin of plain Jane1
First recorded in 1910–15
Origin of plain-Jane2
First recorded in 1935–40
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.
See Examples For:
“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
I’ve always been the plain Jane of my friend groups.
From Slate ● May 13, 2021
A plain Jane rivals her glamorous sister for a handsome guy at a country-club dance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2020
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
"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 George Gibbs
"But up in the Tallahassee Hills, where the nearest massive Mississippian mound center is located, it's common in all vessels. It's the plain-Jane tempering technique there."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
And we’ll be back with more advice in the spring when Apple introduces the plain-Jane iPhone 18 and a new iPhone Air.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
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
“It’s already an existing market, and now it’s branching out beyond plain-Jane type of clothes.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2014
Their fractious standoff, forged out of plain-Jane Sonya’s unrequited feelings for Astrov and her jealousy of Yelena, melts away after a few naughty shots, and soon they’re on the floor, mischievously, hilariously.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 7, 2011
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
