English dictionary



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English adjective: plain

1. plain clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment


SamplesThe effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields.
Evident hostility.
Manifest disapproval.
Patent advantages.
Made his meaning plain.
It is plain that he is no reactionary.
In plain view.


Synonymsapparent, evident, manifest, patent, unmistakable


Similarobvious


Antonymsunobvious

2. plain not elaborate or elaborated; simple


SamplesPlain food.
Stuck to the plain facts.
A plain blue suit.
A plain rectangular brick building.


Similaraustere, bare, chaste, dry, dry, featureless, homely, inelaborate, literal, mere, severe, simple, simple, stark, stern, tailored, trim, unelaborate, vanilla


See alsosimple, unadorned, undecorated, unpretentious, unrhetorical


Antonymsfancy

3. plain lacking patterns especially in color


Synonymsunpatterned


Similarsolid-colored, solid-coloured


Antonymspatterned

4. plain not mixed with extraneous elements


SamplesPlain water.
Sheer wine.
Not an unmixed blessing.


Synonymssheer, unmingled, unmixed


Similarpure


Antonymsimpure

5. plain free from any effort to soften to disguise


SamplesThe plain and unvarnished truth.
The unvarnished candor of old people and children.


Synonymsunvarnished


Similardirect


Antonymsindirect

6. plain lacking embellishment or ornamentation


SamplesA plain hair style.
Unembellished white walls.
Functional architecture featuring stark unornamented concrete.


Synonymsbare, spare, unembellished, unornamented


Similarunadorned, undecorated


Antonymsadorned, decorated

7. plain lacking in physical beauty or proportion


SamplesA homely child.
Several of the buildings were downright homely.
A plain girl with a freckled face.


Synonymshomely


Similarunattractive


Antonymsattractive


English noun: plain

1. plain (object) extensive tract of level open land


SamplesThey emerged from the woods onto a vast open plain.
He longed for the fields of his youth.


Synonymschampaign, field


Broader (hypernym)dry land, earth, ground, land, solid ground, terra firma


Narrower (hyponym)flat, flood plain, floodplain, llano, moor, moorland, peneplain, peneplane, snowfield, steppe, tundra


Instance hyponymNullarbor Plain, Olympia, Serengeti, Serengeti Plain

2. plain (artifact) a basic knitting stitch


Synonymsknit, knit stitch, plain stitch


Broader (hypernym)knitting stitch


English adverb: plain

1. plain unmistakably (`plain' is often used informally for `plainly')


SamplesThe answer is obviously wrong.
She was in bed and evidently in great pain.
He was manifestly too important to leave off the guest list.
It is all patently nonsense.
She has apparently been living here for some time.
I thought he owned the property, but apparently not.
You are plainly wrong.
He is plain stubborn.


Synonymsapparently, evidently, manifestly, obviously, patently, plainly


Domain usagecolloquialism


English verb: plain

1. plain (communication) express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness


SamplesMy mother complains all day.
She has a lot to kick about.


Synonymscomplain, kick, kvetch, quetch, sound off


Pattern of useSomebody ----s.
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE


Narrower (hyponym)backbite, beef, bellyache, bemoan, bewail, bitch, bitch, bleat, crab, croak, deplore, gnarl, gripe, grizzle, grouch, grouse, grumble, grumble, hen-peck, holler, inveigh, lament, murmur, mutter, nag, peck, protest, rail, repine, report, scold, squawk, whine, yammer, yawp


Antonymschirk up, cheer up, cheer









Based on WordNet 3.0 copyright © Princeton University.
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