plain Jane

¹ American  

noun

Informal.

1. a drab, unattractive, and generally uninteresting girl or woman.

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plain-Jane ² American  

[pleyn-jeyn] / ˈpleɪnˈdʒeɪn /

Or plain-jane

adjective

Informal.

1. simple and modest; unadorned; basic.

   a plain-Jane car dressed up with leather upholstery.

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Etymology

Origin of plain Jane¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Origin of plain-Jane²

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

“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