unvarnished

[uhn-vahr-nisht]

adjective

1. plain; clear; straightforward; without vagueness or subterfuge; frank.

   the unvarnished truth.

   Synonyms: direct, candid, naked, bare

2. unfinished, as floors or furniture; not coated with or as if with varnish.

unvarnished

/ ʌnˈvɑːnɪʃt /

adjective

1. not elaborated upon or glossed; plain and direct

   the unvarnished truth

Word History and Origins

Origin of unvarnished¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; un- ¹ + varnish + -ed ³, -ed ²

Example Sentences

With a sprawling live band and big moments of unvarnished vocal candor, this was pop at its highest caliber, but with an eye toward long-term durability and integrity.

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It took courage for these veterans to go on camera and offer the unvarnished truth about the disastrous wars they helped to fight.

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“I think there’s something viewers appreciate about the unvarnished part of it,” O’Brian said.

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What emerges is an unvarnished chronicle: flashes of vision and vulnerability, spectacle and self-destruction, all captured through the lens of a young cameraman embedded in Ye’s orbit.

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If we were to assign his TV father an epitaph, he could do a lot worse than the unvarnished speech that closes the first season.

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Related Words

• candid 
• straightforward 
• unadorned