plain-spoken
Americanadjective
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candid; frank; blunt.
-
using simple, direct language.
a plain-spoken politician.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of plain-spoken
First recorded in 1670–80
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.
Many of the AI country tunes tap into the genre's archetype of the lone cowboy: a rugged, taciturn, plain-spoken man who, above all, refuses to apologize for simply existing.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
There are just headlines and short summaries, presented as simply and unadorned as the plain-spoken Kavanagh himself.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026
In 2008, John McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who entranced the GOP elites with her good looks and her plain-spoken, rural folksiness, seemed to be their dream come true.
From Salon • May 16, 2025
The 60-year-old brings with him a folksy, plain-spoken and sharp-tongued approach to taking on the Republican opposition.
From BBC • Aug. 6, 2024
No sooner did she think of her dress than one of the housemaids, a short and plain-spoken girl whom everyone called Susan, came by the nursery with a message.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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.
