Word Frequency
plain1 (pleɪn
)
Definitions
adjective
- flat or smooth; level
- not complicated; clear ⇒
the plain truth
- not difficult; simple or easy ⇒
a plain task
- honest or straightforward
- lowly, esp in social rank or education
- without adornment or show ⇒
a plain coat
- (of fabric) without pattern or of simple untwilled weave
- not attractive
- not mixed; simple ⇒
plain vodka
- (knitting) of or done in plain
noun
- a level or almost level tract of country, esp an extensive treeless region
- a simple stitch in knitting made by putting the right needle into a loop on the left needle, passing the wool round the right needle, and pulling it through the loop, thus forming a new loop
- (in billiards)
- the unmarked white ball, as distinguished from the spot balls
- the player using this ball
- (in Ireland) short for plain porter, a light porter ⇒
two pints of plain, please
adverb
- (intensifier) ⇒
just plain tired
See also
plainsDerived Forms
ˈplainly adverbˈplainness noun
Word Origin
C13: from Old French: simple, from Latin plānus level, distinct, clearSynonyms
View thesaurus entry = unadorned, simple, basic, severe, pure, bare, modest, stark, restrained, muted, discreet, austere, spartan, unfussy, unvarnished, unembellished, unornamented, unpatterned, bare-bones,
= clear, obvious, patent, evident, apparent, visible, distinct, understandable, manifest, transparent, overt, unmistakable, lucid, unambiguous, comprehensible, legible,
= straightforward, open, direct, frank, bold, blunt, sincere, outspoken, honest, downright, candid, forthright, upfront, artless, ingenuous, guileless,
= ugly, ordinary, unattractive, homely, not striking, unlovely, unprepossessing, not beautiful, no oil painting, ill-favoured, unalluring, fugly,
= ordinary, homely, common, simple, modest, everyday, commonplace, lowly, unaffected, unpretentious, frugal, workaday,
plain2 (pleɪn
)
Definitions
verb
- a dialect or poetic word for complain
Word Origin
C14 pleignen, from Old French plaindre to lament, from Latin plangere to beatTranslations for 'plain'
- British English: plain A plain object, surface, or fabric is entirely in one colour and has no pattern, design, or writing on it.A plain carpet makes a room look bigger.pleɪn ADJECTIVE
- Arabic: بَسِيط
- Brazilian Portuguese: plano plana
- Chinese: 简单的
- Croatian: običan obična
- Czech: nezdobený
- Danish: ensartet
- Dutch: effen
- European Spanish: sencillo sencilla
- Finnish: tasainen
- French: simplepas compliqué
- German: schlicht
- Greek: απέριττος απέριττη
- Italian: semplice
- Japanese: 平坦な
- Korean: 평평한
- Norwegian: jevn jevnt
- Polish: gładki
- Portuguese: plano plana
- Romanian: uni plană, plani, plane
- Russian: плоский плоская
- Spanish: sencillo sencilla
- Swedish: enkel enkeltokonstlad
- Thai: ราบเรียบ
- Turkish: düzdesensiz, süssüz
- Ukrainian: простий
- Vietnamese: bằng phẳng
- British English: plain A plain is a large, flat area of land with very few trees on it.Once there were 70 million buffalo on the plains.pleɪn NOUN
- Arabic: سَهْل
- Brazilian Portuguese: planície
- Chinese: 平原
- Croatian: ravnica
- Czech: pláň
- Danish: slette
- Dutch: vlakte
- European Spanish: llanura
- Finnish: tasanko
- French: plaine
- German: Ebene
- Greek: πεδιάδα
- Italian: pianura
- Japanese: 平原
- Korean: 평야
- Norwegian: slette
- Polish: równina
- Portuguese: planície
- Romanian: câmpie câmpii
- Russian: равнина
- Spanish: llanura
- Swedish: rätstickning
- Thai: ที่ราบ
- Turkish: ova
- Ukrainian: рівнина
- Vietnamese: đồng bằng
Example Sentences Including 'plain'
But even fine silk woven with gilt thread and dotted with jewels can't make her face anything but plain.THE LADY AND THE UNICORN (2003)
However, the view is considerably enhanced by Loch Leven in the plain below, hemmed in by high ground.Glasgow Herald (2001)
More to the point, I have yet to have a working lunch that isn't considerably more fun than, um, just plain working.Glasgow Herald (2001)
Prada, to the uninformed eye, can sometimes look too plain , too dowdy.NOTHING TO WEAR AND NOWHERE TO HIDE: A Collection of Short Stories
She was astonishingly beautiful, considering how plain her father had been.NOTHING TO WEAR AND NOWHERE TO HIDE: A Collection of Short Stories
She won't eat anything other than plain fish or chicken with boiled veg.Globe and Mail (2003)
The meal returned Anne to her tribe like a rider, horseless on the open plain , who'd made it back to civilization.THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS (2002)
We'd ask for a Bruce Campbell cameo retrospective, but that would be just plain greedy.Maxim (2005)
Yet their manager Glenn Hoddle was after points rather than plaudits and his delight was plain.Irish Times (2002)
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