Synonyms for plain
- adjective
- adverb
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Obvious — obvious. Downright; total, unmistakable (as intensifier)
obvious, pure, pyore US, straight-forward, clear, downright, apparent, evident, direct, stark, sheer, patent, unambiguous, out-and-out, straight-out, manifest, conspicuous, clear as day, explicit, easy, absolute, right, glaring
2. Ordinary — simple, unaltered. Simple in habits or qualities; unsophisticated, not exceptional, ordinary
ordinary, dry, natural, flat, dull, basic, matter-of-fact, common, nondescript, vulgar, standard-issue, mundane, normal, prosaic, light, usual, humdrum, unremarkable, everyday, inelegant, commonplace, vapid
3. Simple — simple, unaltered. Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished
simple, unadorned, unvarnished, severe, austere, bare, naked, vanilla, undecorated, chaste
Other
even, palpable, unsophisticated, featureless, unmistakable, plane
Adverb
1. Plainly — plainly; distinctly
Definitions
- adj. 1
Simple, unaltered. Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished.
He was dressed simply in plain black clothes.
- adj. 2
Simple, unaltered. Simple in habits or qualities; unsophisticated, not exceptional, ordinary.
They're just plain people like you or me.
- adj. 3
Obvious. Downright; total, unmistakable (as intensifier).
His answer was just plain nonsense.
- adv. 1
Plainly; distinctly.
Tell me plain: do you love me or no?
Related words
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That is plain, in the sense here considered, which is, as it were, level to the thought, so that one goes straight on without difficulty or hindrance; as, plain language; a plain statement; a clear explanation.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- obvious It seems fairly obvious that Tom isn't happy here.
- stark Ziri walked in on Rima and found her stark naked.
- downright Some machine translations are downright hilarious.
- basic That game is easy, once you learn the basic rules.
- ordinary Leonid is just an ordinary man without experience.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| plain | steady | |
| obvious | steady | |
| stark | rising | |
| downright | rising | |
| basic | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- dry1
- 4 letters
- even2, easy2, flat1, pure1, bare1, dull1
- 5 letters
- right1, light1, clear1, basic2, frank1, plane1, usual3, naked2, stark1, sheer1, vapid2, pyore
- 6 letters
- common2, simple2, normal2, direct2, honest2, severe2, patent2, vulgar2, chaste1
- 7 letters
- natural3, obvious3, evident3, vanilla3, sincere2, mundane2, plainly2, glaring2, austere2, prosaic3, humdrum2
- 8 letters
- straight1, absolute3, everyday3, ordinary4, apparent3, explicit3, manifest3, palpable3, patently3
- 9 letters
- obviously4, downright2, unadorned3, inelegant
- 10 letters
- apparently4, manifestly4
- 11 letters
- conspicuous4, commonplace3, unambiguous5, nondescript3, featureless3, unvarnished3, undecorated
- 12 letters
- unmistakable5, unremarkable5
- 15 letters
- unsophisticated6
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (even2 = 2 syllables).