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plain
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- pronunciation:
- pleIn
- parts of speech:
- adjective, adverb, noun
- features:
- Word Combinations (adjective, noun), Homophone Note, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| inflections: |
plainer, plainest |
| definition 1: |
easily perceived by the eye or ear; clear; unobstructed.
We have a plain view of the lake from our window.- synonyms:
- apparent, clear, clear-cut, distinct, evident, manifest, obvious, unobstructed, visible
- antonyms:
- obscure, unclear
- similar words:
- broad, conspicuous, discernible, noticeable, perceivable, perceptible, unconcealed, unmistakable
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| definition 2: |
clearly perceivable or understandable; distinctly evident.
It was plain to all of us that she was very upset.He didn't express it in words, but his meaning was quite plain.- synonyms:
- apparent, clear, distinct, evident, manifest, obvious, unmistakable, visible
- antonyms:
- abstruse, unapparent, unclear
- similar words:
- broad, clear-cut, comprehensible, discernible, explicit, intelligible, ostensive, palpable, perceptible, straightforward, understandable
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| definition 3: |
not complicated or elaborate; without extra additions; simple.
How can you eat plain toast?Her sister's wedding dress had had a great deal of lace and decoration, but hers was simple and plain.- synonyms:
- bare, simple, stark, unadorned, unembellished
- antonyms:
- elaborate, fancy, florid, flowery, gaudy, high-flown, ornate, sumptuous
- similar words:
- austere, bald, chaste, commonplace, homely, homespun, literal, modest, naked, ordinary, primitive, sober, uncomplicated, unostentatious, unpretentious, unsophisticated, unvarnished
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| definition 4: |
sincere and open; frank.
Let me be plain with you.- synonyms:
- frank, genuine, ingenuous, open, plain-spoken, sincere, straightforward
- similar words:
- candid, direct, explicit, forthright, guileless, homely, matter-of-fact, outspoken
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| definition 5: |
not attractive or striking in appearance.
Her face was rather plain without makeup.- synonyms:
- homely
- antonyms:
- attractive, handsome, pretty, showy
- similar words:
- ill-favored, mousy, unattractive
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| definition 6: |
sheer; utter.
What you just said is plain nonsense!They're making their choice out of plain ignorance.That is nothing but a plain lie!- synonyms:
- arrant, categorical, downright, out-and-out, outright, patent, plumb, unmitigated, utter
- similar words:
- absolute, blatant, complete, palpable, sheer, thoroughgoing, total
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| related words: |
artless, bare, black, blank, blunt, brutal, certain, elementary, emphatic, frank, informal, limpid, lowly, naked, nondescript, nude, overt, patent, pronounced, raw, round, routine, severe, simple, straight, transparent, ugly, very |
adverb + (adj.)plain
just
(adj.)plain
+ noun
aspirin,
box,
bread,
brick,
cake,
clothes,
cotton,
crumb,
dealer,
dress,
envelope,
folk,
fun,
language,
leather,
luck,
meaning,
milk,
mug,
nonfat,
paper,
pine,
potato,
radiograph,
rice,
sheet,
shirt,
sight,
speaking,
tablespoon,
talk,
teaspoon,
text,
tomato,
truth,
vanilla,
vegetable,
view,
weave,
wrapper,
x-ray,
yogurt
[See all][See only the most frequent]
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| part of speech: |
adverb |
| definition: |
simply; undeniably.
He's plain wrong about that.That idea is just plain stupid.- synonyms:
- clearly, flat, incontestable, indisputable, simply, undeniably, unquestionably
- similar words:
- certainly, definitely, distinctly, doubtless, doubtlessly, flat-out, positively, surely
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| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition: |
(sometimes pl.) a large, flat area of land sometimes covered with long grass but usually with few or no trees.
Buffalo roamed the western plains.- synonyms:
- champaign, flatland, prairie
- similar words:
- grassland, llano, lowland, moor, pampas, steppe, tableland, tundra
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| related words: |
bush, flat, level |
adjective + (n.)plain
alluvial,
arctic,
arid,
barren,
broad,
brown,
central,
coastal,
dark,
desolate,
dry,
dusty,
eastern,
empty,
endless,
featureless,
fertile,
flat,
fruited,
grassy,
just,
northern,
open,
rocky,
rolling,
sandy,
smooth,
southern,
surrounding,
treeless,
vast,
western,
wide,
windswept
[See all][See only the most frequent]
verb + (n.)plain
cross, flood, roam, sweep
(n.)plain
+ verb
aborigine, stretch, surround, yogurt
noun + (n.)plain
buffalo, cloud, cup, desert, edge, flat, flood, foot, hill, marsh, refuge, sand, valley, wind
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| derivations: |
plainly (adv.), plainness (n.) |
Are you looking for the word plane? Plain and plane sound alike but have different meanings.
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some animals that live on plains |
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antelope, bear, bison, cheetah, deer, gazelle, giraffe, gnu, horse, hyena, impala, lion, mustang, prairie dog, zebra |
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some kinds of plains |
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prairie, savanna, tundra |
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some plants that live on plains |
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grass, sagebrush |
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