plain
1 Americanadjective
-
clear or distinct to the eye or ear: to stand in plain view.
a plain trail to the river;
to stand in plain view.
- Synonyms:
- perspicuous, apparent, unmistakable, intelligible, understandable, lucid
- Antonyms:
- indistinct
-
clear to the mind; evident, manifest, or obvious.
to make one's meaning plain.
- Synonyms:
- transparent, patent, unequivocal, unambiguous, perspicuous, apparent, unmistakable, intelligible, understandable, lucid
- Antonyms:
- obscure
-
conveying the meaning clearly and simply; easily understood.
plain talk.
- Synonyms:
- transparent, patent, unequivocal, unambiguous
-
downright; sheer; utter; self-evident.
plain folly;
plain stupidity.
-
free from ambiguity or evasion; candid; outspoken.
the plain truth of the matter.
- Synonyms:
- sincere, open, ingenuous, frank, blunt, direct, straightforward, unreserved
-
without special pretensions, superiority, elegance, etc.; ordinary.
plain people.
- Synonyms:
- unpretentious
-
not beautiful; physically unattractive or undistinguished.
a plain face.
-
without intricacies or difficulties.
-
ordinary, simple, or unostentatious.
Although she was a duchess, her manners were attractively plain.
-
with little or no embellishment, decoration, or enhancing elaboration.
a plain blue suit.
-
without a pattern, figure, or device.
a plain fabric.
-
not rich, highly seasoned, or elaborately prepared, as food.
a plain diet.
-
flat or level.
plain country.
- Antonyms:
- hilly
-
unobstructed, clear, or open, as ground, a space, etc.
-
Cards. being other than a face card or a trump.
adverb
noun
-
an area of land not significantly higher than adjacent areas and with relatively minor differences in elevation, commonly less than 500 feet (150 meters), within the area.
-
The Plains. Great Plains.
idioms
verb (used without object)
verb
adjective
-
flat or smooth; level
-
not complicated; clear
the plain truth
-
not difficult; simple or easy
a plain task
-
honest or straightforward
-
lowly, esp in social rank or education
-
without adornment or show
a plain coat
-
(of fabric) without pattern or of simple untwilled weave
-
not attractive
-
not mixed; simple
plain vodka
-
knitting of or done in plain
noun
-
a level or almost level tract of country, esp an extensive treeless region
-
a simple stitch in knitting made by putting the right needle into a loop on the left needle, passing the wool round the right needle, and pulling it through the loop, thus forming a new loop
-
-
the unmarked white ball, as distinguished from the spot balls
-
the player using this ball
-
-
(in Ireland) short for plain porter, a light porter
two pints of plain, please
adverb
-
An extensive, relatively level area of land. Plains are present on all continents except Antarctica and are most often located in the interior regions. Because they can occur at almost any altitude or latitude, plains can be humid and forested, semiarid and grass-covered, or arid.
-
A broad, level expanse, such as an area of the sea floor or a lunar mare.
Synonym Usage
See homely.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of plain1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English adjective, adverb, and noun plain(e), plein(e), from Old French adjective and noun plain(e), pleine, from Latin plānus “flat, level,” plānum “flat country”
Origin of plain2
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English plei(g)nen, plene(n), from Anglo-French plainer, pleiner, Old French plaign-, stem of plaindre, pleindre, from Latin plangere “to strike, beat (the breast, etc.), lament”
Explanation
Plain things are simple, unadorned, and even a little boring. Being a plain talker means you don't use pretentious, fancy words. But having a plain face means you're not much to look at. Plain comes from the Latin word planum, meaning "level ground." That's one meaning of the word, as in a flat prairie or low lying coastal flood plain. If something is in plain view, it's out in the open with no obstructions. But usually we use plain as an adjective to describe unembellished, bare, or unimpressive things. A white room with just an old bed and a chair is pretty plain.
Vocabulary lists containing plain
Physical Geography - Introductory
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'Tis A Gift To Be Simple: Words For National Simplicity Day
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Physical Geography - Middle School
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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:
“Once plain water became suspect, it became a category you could charge a premium to solve,” said Jenna Movsowitz, co-founder of Express Checkout, a Substack newsletter about trends in consumer packaged goods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The exercise and fresh air work their plain Victorian magic; soon she is ravenous for the porridge waiting at Misselthwaite Manor.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
They were simply reading the plain and obvious meaning of constitutional texts and insisting that it applied to them and their kids.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
To investigate, researchers tested sugar-sweetened soda, regular sparkling water, calcium-fortified sparkling water, and plain water in 20 adults.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Walker can see him plain enough,’ he muttered.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
It is essential for cattlemen in the western plains who have for years been shrinking their cattle herds in response to droughts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Priyadarshini said she has long been interested in studying spiders that live at high elevations because those environments differ greatly from the lowland plains in both vegetation and landscape.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Little House on the Prairie” is the third television adaptation to bear the name of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 1935 autobiographical novel of life on the Kansas plains in 1869 to 1870.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
"If we don't protect the Aravalli, the northern Gangetic plains -- which is a food basket for the rest of the country -- would become a desert," he said.
From Barron's ● May 31, 2026
Rays of sun dance through the valley, painting light on the plains even as the floating isles cast patches of shadows; flocks of white birds cry out in formation below us.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
He is also often being asked how to zhuzh up plainer fare or find satiety with smaller portions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Other measures including plainer packaging for vapes will also help target sales to children, the government says.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2024
For example, Chinese zhajiangmian is usually plainer than Korean-Chinese jajangmyeon, which is coated in a thick sauce of fermented black beans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2024
We can’t put it any plainer than he does: These assaults “are a direct result of multiple systems’ lack of appropriate resources, placements, and services” for kids in dire need.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
A plainer gun was cheaper, but Guiteau chose a fancy one because, undoubtedly, it would soon be displayed to the world in a museum.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
In “Love and Summer,” William Trevor’s novel of doomed romance and quiet resignation, even the plainest sentence conveys roiling emotion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
As she explained, the Humphreys case is “squarely among ‘the gravest and most important’ cases in which the no-impeachment rule should yield to avoid ‘violating the plainest principles of justice.’
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2025
Mr Duck KC said: "It was the plainest of intrusions and the fear it caused was inevitable."
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025
Brushing ahead all that geeky frippery, though, and what’s plainest about that scene is how unsettling it is.
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2025
He said this in just the plainest everyday voice, as if discussing that the dog had gotten into the garbage again.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
