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plain
1[ pleyn ]
adjective
- 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: , , , , ,
Antonyms:
- clear to the mind; evident, manifest, or obvious:
to make one's meaning plain.
Synonyms: , , , , , , , , ,
Antonyms:
- conveying the meaning clearly and simply; easily understood:
plain talk.
Synonyms: , , ,
plain folly;
plain stupidity.
the plain truth of the matter.
Synonyms: , , , , , , ,
- without special pretensions, superiority, elegance, etc.; ordinary:
plain people.
Synonyms:
- 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:
- unobstructed, clear, or open, as ground, a space, etc.
- Cards. being other than a face card or a trump.
adverb
- clearly and simply:
He's just plain stupid.
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.
plain
2[ pleyn ]
verb (used without object)
- to complain.
plain
1/ ɪ /
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
- in billiards
- 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
- (intensifier)
just plain tired
plain
2/ ɪ /
verb
- a dialect or poetic word for complain
plain
- 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.
Derived Forms
- ˈԱ, adverb
- ˈԲԱ, noun
Other Word Forms
- · adverb
- ·Ա noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of plain1
Origin of plain2
Word History and Origins
Origin of plain1
Origin of plain2
Idioms and Phrases
- in plain sight. in plain sight ( def ).
More idioms and phrases containing plain
- in plain English
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Passengers saw him being searched by plain clothes and uniformed officers before the bus was allowed to move on.
The chocolate digestive was launched about a quarter of a century after the plain variety, whose name was inspired by the belief that the baking powder in the recipe would help with digestion.
Just to be plain, given Kennedy’s effort to shroud autistic people in stigma, many pay taxes.
Half an hour east of Austin, past the airport, the clogged-up traffic starts to melt away and the plains of Central Texas open up, leaving the booming city behind.
"I'm afraid that if I'm walking, I will be approached by agents in incognito clothes and plain disguise," he continued.
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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.
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