plain1
Audio Help [pleyn] Pronunciation Key adjective, -er, -est, adverb, noun
—Related forms
Audio Help [pleyn] Pronunciation Key adjective, -er, -est, adverb, noun –adjective
–adverb
–noun
| 1. | clear or distinct to the eye or ear: a plain trail to the river; to stand in plain view. |
| 2. | clear to the mind; evident, manifest, or obvious: to make one's meaning plain. |
| 3. | conveying the meaning clearly and simply; easily understood: plain talk. |
| 4. | downright; sheer; utter; self-evident: plain folly; plain stupidity. |
| 5. | free from ambiguity or evasion; candid; outspoken: the plain truth of the matter. |
| 6. | without special pretensions, superiority, elegance, etc.; ordinary: plain people. |
| 7. | not beautiful; physically unattractive or undistinguished: a plain face. |
| 8. | without intricacies or difficulties. |
| 9. | ordinary, simple, or unostentatious: Although she was a duchess, her manners were attractively plain. |
| 10. | with little or no embellishment, decoration, or enhancing elaboration: a plain blue suit. |
| 11. | without a pattern, figure, or device: a plain fabric. |
| 12. | not rich, highly seasoned, or elaborately prepared, as food: a plain diet. |
| 13. | flat or level: plain country. |
| 14. | unobstructed, clear, or open, as ground, a space, etc. |
| 15. | Cards. being other than a face card or a trump. |
| 16. | clearly and simply: He's just plain stupid. |
| 17. | an area of land not significantly higher than adjacent areas and with relatively minor differences in elevation, commonly less than 500 ft. (150 m), within the area. |
| 18. | The Plains. Great Plains. |
[Origin: 1250–1300; ME (adj., adv., and n.) < OF (adj. and n.) < L plānus flat, level, plānum flat country
]
] —Related forms
plainly, adverb
plainness, noun
—Synonyms 1, 2. lucid, understandable, intelligible, unmistakable, apparent, perspicuous. 2, 3. unambiguous, unequivocal, patent, transparent; direct. 5. unreserved, straightforward, blunt, frank, ingenuous, open, sincere. 6. unpretentious. 10. unadorned. See homely.
—Antonyms 1. indistinct. 2. obscure. 13. hilly.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Plainest
To learn more about Plainest visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| plain
Audio Help (plān) Pronunciation Key
adj. plain·er, plain·est
n.
adv. Informal Clearly; simply: plain stubborn. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin plānus; see pelə-2 in Indo-European roots.] plain'ly adv., plain'ness n. Synonyms: These adjectives mean not ornate, ostentatious, or showy: a plain hairstyle; a modest cottage; a simple dark suit; an unostentatious office; an unpretentious country church. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web
Perform a new search, or try your search for "Plainest" at:
- Amazon.com - Shop for books, music and more
- Reference.com - Encyclopedia Search
- Reference.com - Web Search powered by Google
- Thesaurus.com - Search for synonyms and antonyms














