plain
plain [plain plains plainer plainest] adjective, noun, adverb BrE [pleɪn] NAmE [pleɪn]
adjective (plain·er, plain·est)
1. easy to see or understand
Syn: ↑clear
• He made it plain that we should leave.
• She made her annoyance plain.
•The facts were plain to see.
•It was a rip-off, plain and simple.
2. not trying to trick anyone; honest and direct
•The plain fact is that nobody really knows.
•a politician with a reputation for plain speaking
• (especially NAmE)a plain, straightforward sort of man
3. not decorated or complicated; simple
•a plain but elegant dress
•plain food
• The interior of the church was plain and simple.
•plain yogurt (= without sugar or fruit)
compare ↑fancy
4. without marks or a pattern on it
•covers in plain or printed cotton
• Write on plain paper (= without lines).
5. only before noun used to emphasize that sth is very ordinary, not special in any way
Syn: ↑everyday
• You don't need any special skills for this job, just plain common sense.
6. (especially of a woman)not beautiful or attractive
7. describing a simple ↑stitch used in knitting
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French plain, from Latin planus, from a base meaning ‘flat’.
Thesaurus:
plain adj.
1.
•He made it very plain that he wanted us to leave.
clear • • obvious • • apparent • • evident • • self-evident • • explicit •
plain/clear/obvious/apparent/evident/self-evident to sb/sth
plain/clear/obvious/apparent/evident/self-evident from/in sb/sth
make sth plain/clear/obvious/apparent/evident/explicit
Plain, clear or obvious? Iff you make sth clear/plain, you do so deliberately, but if you make sth obvious, you do so without meaning to:
•I hope I make myself clear/plain.
✗ I hope I make myself obvious.:
•Try not to make your dislike so obvious.
✗ Try not to make it so clear/plain.
2.
•The plain fact is that nobody really knows.
simple • • bare • • bald • |formal unequivocal • |usually disapproving stark •
the plain/simple/bare/bald/unequivocal/stark truth
a/an plain/simple/bare/bald/unequivocal/stark fact/statement
a/an plain/simple/unequivocal answer
3.
•Let's be plain about this: we will need to make some cuts.
honest • • direct • • blunt • • forthright • |approving open • • straight • • straightforward •
plain/honest/direct/blunt/forthright/open/straight/straightforward about sth
plain/honest/direct/blunt/open/straight/straightforward with sb
To be/Let's be plain/honest/blunt…
4.
•a plain white shirt
bare • |usually approving simple • • austere • |often disapproving severe • • stark •
Opp: fancy
a/an plain/simple/austere design
a plain/bare/simple interior
a plain/bare/simple/stark white…
a plain/simple/severe/stark black…
Synonyms:
clear
obvious • apparent • evident • plain
These words all describe sth that is easy to see or understand and leaves no doubts or confusion.
clear • easy to see or understand and leaving no doubts: ▪ It was quite clear to me that she was lying.
obvious • easy to see or understand: ▪ It's obvious from what he said that something is wrong.
apparent • [not usually before noun] (rather formal) easy to see or understand: ▪ It was apparent from her face that she was really upset.
evident • (rather formal) easy to see or understand: ▪ The orchestra played with evident enjoyment.
plain • easy to see or understand: ▪ He ▪ made it ▪ very ▪ plain ▪ that he wanted us to leave.
which word?
These words all have almost exactly the same meaning. There are slight differences in register and patterns of use. If you make sth clear/plain, you do so deliberately because you want people to understand sth; if you make sth obvious, you usually do it without meaning to: I hope I make myself obvious. ◇ Try not to make it so clear/plain. In the expressions clear majority, for obvious reasons, for no apparent reason and plain to see, none of the other words can be used instead. You can have a clear/an obvious/a plain case of sth but not: an evident case of sth.
clear/obvious/apparent/evident/plain to sb/sth
clear/obvious/apparent/evident/plain that/what/who/how/where/why…
to seem/become/make sth clear/obvious/apparent/evident/plain
perfectly/quite/very clear/obvious/apparent/evident/plain
Synonyms:
plain
simple • stark • bare • unequivocal
These words all describe statements, often about sth unpleasant, that are very clear, not trying to hide anything, and not using more words than necessary.
plain • used for talking about a fact that other people may not like to hear; honest and direct in way that other people may not like: ▪ The plain fact is that nobody really knows.
simple • [only before noun] used for talking about a fact that other people may not like to hear; very obvious and not complicated by anything else: ▪ The simple truth is that we just can't afford it.
plain or simple?
When it is being used to emphasize facts that other people may not like to hear, plain is usually used in the expression the plain fact/truth is that… Simple can be used in this way too, but it can also be used in a wider variety of structures and collocations (such as reason and matter): ▪ The problem was due to the simple fact that… ◇ The problem was due to the plain fact that… ◇ for the plain reason that… ◇ It's a plain matter of… Expressions with simple often suggest impatience with other people's behaviour.
stark • (rather formal) used for describing an unpleasant fact or difference that is very obvious: ▪ The stark truth is that there is not enough money left.
The simple/plain truth may be sth that some people do not want to hear, but it may be good for them to hear it anyway. The stark truth is sth particularly unpleasant and has no good side to it at all.
bare • [only before noun] the most basic or simple, with nothing extra: ▪ She gave me only the bare facts of the case.
unequivocal • (formal) expressing your opinion or intention very clearly and firmly: ▪ The reply was an unequivocal ‘no’.
the plain/simple/stark/bare/unequivocal truth
a(n) plain/simple/stark/bare/unequivocal fact/statement
a(n) plain/simple/unequivocal answer
Example Bank:
•It is all very plain to me.
•She looked very plain and dowdy.
•The dress was absolutely plain, but quite stunning.
•The food was fairly plain, but well cooked.
•They made it plain that they were against the idea.
•Within weeks, it became perfectly plain that we were in the grip of a tyrant.
•a plain white shirt
•a rather plain woman
•As a child she was rather plain.
•Do you want plain or lined paper?
•He made it very plain that he wanted us to leave.
•He prided himself on being a plain, honest man with no nonsense about him.
•He was a plain, straightforward sort of man.
•He's a politician with a reputation for plain speaking.
•Her intentions were plain enough.
•I prefer plain, simple things.
•It doesn't require special skills, just plain common sense.
•It was plain to us that they had left fairly recently.
•Let's be plain about this: we will need to make some difficult choices.
•Patterned carpet shows the dirt less than a plain colour.
•Teachers should encourage students to write in plain English.
•The facts were plain to see.
•The plain fact is that nobody really knows.
•The situation thrives on half-truths and plain ignorance.
•a range of plain and printed linens
•plain food/cooking
•plain yogurt
Idioms: ↑in plain English ▪ ↑plain as a pikestaff ▪ ↑plain as day ▪ ↑plain as the nose on your face ▪ ↑plain sailing
Derived Word: ↑plainness
noun (also plainsplural)
a large area of flat land
•the flat coastal plain of Thassos
•the Great Plains
see also ↑floodplain
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French plain, from Latin planus, from a base meaning ‘flat’.
Thesaurus:
plain noun C
•the flat coastal plain of the Yucatan peninsular
grassland • • plateau • • lowland • • prairie • • savannah • • steppe • • pampas •
on the plains/grasslands/plateau/prairie/savannah/steppes/pampas
the open plain/grasslands/plateau/prairie/savannah
the rolling plain/grasslands/plateau/prairie
Example Bank:
•Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.
•Herds of buffalo roamed these plains.
•Nothing grew on the plain.
•The horses galloped across the open plains.
•fertile plains suitable for farming
•miles of rolling plain, made fertile by the river
•the Olduvai Gorge in the vast plain of Tanzania
•Millions of buffalo used to roam freely across the Great Plains.
•To the east lies the flat coastal plain of the Yucatan peninsula.
adverb (informal)used to emphasize how bad, stupid, etc. sth is
•plain stupid/wrong
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French plain, from Latin planus, from a base meaning ‘flat’.
See also: ↑clear sailing
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