Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [pleyn]
- /pleɪn/
- /pleɪn/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [pleyn]
- /pleɪn/
Definitions of plain word
- adjective plain clear or distinct to the eye or ear: a plain trail to the river; to stand in plain view. 1
- adjective plain clear to the mind; evident, manifest, or obvious: to make one's meaning plain. 1
- adjective plain conveying the meaning clearly and simply; easily understood: plain talk. 1
- adjective plain downright; sheer; utter; self-evident: plain folly; plain stupidity. 1
- adjective plain free from ambiguity or evasion; candid; outspoken: the plain truth of the matter. 1
- adjective plain without special pretensions, superiority, elegance, etc.; ordinary: plain people. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of plain
First appearance:
before 1250 One of the 11% oldest English words
1250-1300; Middle English (adj., adv., and noun) < Old French (adj. and noun) < Latin plānus flat, level, plānum flat country
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Plain
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
plain popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
plain usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for plain
adj plain
- above board — An arrangement or deal that is above board is legal and is being carried out honestly and openly.
- afferent — bringing or directing inwards to a part or an organ of the body, esp towards the brain or spinal cord
- agrestal — (of uncultivated plants such as weeds) growing on cultivated land
- all out — not at one's home or place of employment; absent: I stopped by to visit you last night, but you were out.
- all-fired — excessive; extreme
noun plain
- butte — an isolated steep-sided flat-topped hill
- campo — level or undulating savanna country, esp in the uplands of Brazil
- campos — a city in E Brazil, in E Rio de Janeiro state on the Paraíba River. Pop: 388 000 (2005 est)
- coulee — a flow of molten lava
- dingle — a deep, narrow cleft between hills; shady dell.
adjective plain
- bare — If a part of your body is bare, it is not covered by any clothing.
- basic — You use basic to describe things, activities, and principles that are very important or necessary, and on which others depend.
- cincher — Something that cinches as in holds and fastens, such as a belt or corset.
- coldblooded — having a body temperature that fluctuates, approximating that of the surrounding air, land, or water
- confirmable — Capable of being checked, verifiable.
Antonyms for plain
adj plain
- a-1 — noting a vessel regarded by a shipping-classification society as being equipped to the highest standard and with equipment maintained in first-class condition.
- a-ok — in perfect working order; excellent
- a1 — in good health; physically fit
- absonant — inharmonious
- abstruse — You can describe something as abstruse if you find it difficult to understand, especially when you think it could be explained more simply.
noun plain
- chine — the backbone
- coulee — a flow of molten lava
- hogback — a long, sharply crested ridge, generally formed of steeply inclined strata that are especially resistant to erosion.
- moraine — a ridge, mound, or irregular mass of unstratified glacial drift, chiefly boulders, gravel, sand, and clay.
- esker — A long ridge of gravel and other sediment, typically having a winding course, deposited by meltwater from a retreating glacier or ice sheet.
adjective plain
- academic — Academic is used to describe things that relate to the work done in schools, colleges, and universities, especially work which involves studying and reasoning rather than practical or technical skills.
- acroamatic — relating to oral communication
- amphibological — (rare) of doubtful meaning, ambiguous, quibbling.
- atramentous — similar to or as black as ink
- class — A class is a group of pupils or students who are taught together.
Top questions with plain
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