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.
John Fetterman’s blue-collar wardrobe and plain-spoken progressivism once made him a star.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Platner, an oyster farmer and military veteran, rocketed to the top of the Democratic field with a message of plain-spoken populism.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
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
An ardent Methodist, he was an abstemious, plain-spoken man, tall and muscular, with a dry sense of humor.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
