unvarnished

American  

[uhn-vahr-nisht] / ʌnˈvɑr nɪʃt /

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.

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unvarnished British  

/ ʌnˈvɑːnɪʃt /

adjective

1. not elaborated upon or glossed; plain and direct

   the unvarnished truth

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Etymology

Origin of unvarnished

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

Example Sentences

Our ears are always the ultimate arbiters, and hundreds of millions still bend to the song’s unvarnished, pure pleasure even now.

From Salon

What stands out in Annie is its relaxed, unvarnished portrait of student life: messy hostel rooms, friends lounging on charpoys smoking and arguing about everything from bureaucracy to exams, and a breezy irreverence toward authority.

From BBC

Besides, there’s ample evidence that unvarnished, off-the-cuff statements can hurt musicians more than they help.

From Salon

But as always, these writers-directors present an unvarnished look at life on the margins, following a group of adolescent mothers, some of them single.

From Los Angeles Times

In the 1970s McDonald made the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list; yet the FBI never uncovered the information Mr. Toledo reveals, in unvarnished detail, in “Don’t Talk About Joe Mac.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• candid
• straightforward
• unadorned