| ADJECTIVE | all | plain, apparent, evident, manifest, patent, unmistakable | clearly / clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment |
|---|---|---|---|
| all | plain | not elaborate or elaborated | |
| all | plain, unpatterned | lacking patterns especially in color | |
| all | plain, sheer, unmingled, unmixed | not mixed with extraneous elements | |
| all | plain, unvarnished | free from any effort to soften to disguise | |
| all | plain, bare, spare, unembellished, unornamented | lacking embellishment or ornamentation | |
| all | plain, homely | lacking in physical beauty or proportion | |
| ADVERB | all | plain, obviously, evidently, manifestly, patently, apparently, plainly | unmistakably ('plain' is often used informally for 'plainly') |
| NOUN | object | plain, field, champaign | extensive tract of level open land |
| artifact | plain, knit, knit stitch, plain stitch | a basic knitting stitch | |
| VERB | communication | plain, complain, kick, sound off, quetch, kvetch | express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness |
| Sounds | pley'n | |
|---|---|---|
| Rhymes | abstain ... windowpane: 127 rhymes with eyn... | |
| Meaning | clearly / clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment. | |
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| Examples |
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| Synonyms | apparent, evident, manifest, patent, unmistakable | |
| Broader | obvious | easily perceived / perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind |
| Catalan | clar, evident, manifest, obvi, palès, patent | |
| Spanish | claro, evidente, manifiesto, patente | |
| Nouns | plainness | clarity as a consequence of being perspicuous |
| Adverbs | plainly | unmistakably ('plain' is often used informally for 'plainly') |
| Meaning | not elaborate or elaborated; simple. | |
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| Examples |
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| Narrower | austere, severe, stark, stern | severely simple |
| bare, mere, simple | apart from anything else | |
| chaste | pure and simple in design or style | |
| dry | (of food) eaten without a spread or sauce or other garnish | |
| dry | Having no adornment or coloration | |
| featureless | lacking distinguishing characteristics or features | |
| homely | plain and unpretentious | |
| inelaborate, unelaborate | not elaborate | |
| literal | Avoiding embellishment or exaggeration (used for emphasis) | |
| simple | unornamented | |
| tailored, trim | severely simple in line or design | |
| vanilla | plain and without any extras or adornments | |
| See also | simple | Having few parts |
| unadorned, undecorated | not decorated with something to increase its beauty or distinction | |
| unpretentious | lacking pretension or affectation | |
| unrhetorical | not rhetorical | |
| Opposite | fancy | not plain |
| Spanish | simple | |
| Meaning | lacking patterns especially in color. | |
|---|---|---|
| Synonym | unpatterned | |
| Narrower | solid-colored, solid-coloured | Having the same color / color all over |
| Opposite | patterned | Having patterns (especially colorful patterns) |
| Spanish | liso | |
| Meaning | not mixed with extraneous elements. | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | "plain water" | |
| Synonyms | sheer, unmingled, unmixed | |
| Broader | pure | Free of extraneous elements of any kind |
| Catalan | popular, senzill | |
| Spanish | llano, popular, sencillo | |
| Nouns | plainness | the state of being unmixed with other material |
| Meaning | Free from any effort to soften to disguise. | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | "the plain and unvarnished truth" | |
| Synonym | unvarnished | |
| Broader | direct | Straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action |
| Spanish | sencillo | |
| Meaning | lacking embellishment or ornamentation. | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | "a plain hair style" | |
| Synonyms | bare, spare, unembellished, unornamented | |
| Broader | unadorned, undecorated | not decorated with something to increase its beauty or distinction |
| Catalan | senzill | |
| Spanish | sencillo | |
| Nouns | plainness | the appearance of being plain and unpretentious |
| Meaning | lacking in physical beauty or proportion. | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | "a plain girl with a freckled face" | |
| Synonym | homely | |
| Broader | unattractive | lacking beauty or charm |
| Catalan | lleig | |
| Spanish | feo | |
| Nouns | plainness | an appearance that is not attractive or beautiful |
| Meaning | A basic knitting stitch. | |
|---|---|---|
| Synonyms | knit, knit stitch, plain stitch | |
| Broader | knitting stitch | A stitch taken in knitting |
| Meaning | unmistakably ('plain' is often used informally for 'plainly'). | |
|---|---|---|
| Examples |
| |
| Synonyms | obviously, evidently, manifestly, patently, apparently, plainly | |
| Usage of | colloquialism | A colloquial expression |
| Meaning | Express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness. | |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern | Somebody ----s; Somebody ----s that CLAUSE | |
| Example | "My mother complains all day" | |
| Synonyms | complain, kick, sound off, quetch, kvetch | |
| Narrower | backbite, bitch | say mean things |
| bleat | talk / talk whiningly | |
| deplore, lament, bewail, bemoan | regret strongly | |
| gripe, bitch, grouse, crab, beef, squawk, bellyache, holler | complain | |
| grouch, grumble, scold | show one's unhappiness or critical attitude | |
| murmur, mutter, grumble, croak, gnarl | make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath | |
| nag, peck, hen-peck | bother persistently with trivial complaints | |
| protest | Utter words / words of protest | |
| rail, inveigh | complain bitterly | |
| repine | Express discontent | |
| report | complain about | |
| whine, grizzle, yammer, yawp | complain whiningly | |
| Opposite | cheer, cheer up, chirk up | Become cheerful |
| Catalan | lamentar | |