/ pleɪn; NAmE / adjective , noun , adverb
■ 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 .
➡ note at clear
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
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
► plain·ness noun [ U ]
•
IDIOMS
- be plain sailing
- in plain English
- (as) plain as a pikestaff | (as) plain as day | (as) plain as the nose on your face
■ noun
(also plains [ pl. ]) a large area of flat land :
the flat coastal plain of Thassos
the Great Plains
■ adverb
( informal ) used to emphasize how bad, stupid, etc. sth is :
plain stupid / wrong
••
SYNONYMS
plain
simple ♦ stark ♦ bare ♦ unequivocal ♦ bald
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 usually occurs 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.
NOTE
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'.
bald
used for telling sb a rather unpleasant fact; without any extra explanation or detail to help you accept what is being said:
The letter was a bald statement of our legal position.
NOTE
A bald fact is usually more unpleasant than a plain / simple fact , but not as unpleasant as a stark fact .
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
the plain / simple / stark / bare / unequivocal / bald truth
a(n) plain / simple / stark / bare / unequivocal / bald fact / statement
a(n) plain / simple / unequivocal answer
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French plain , from Latin planus , from a base meaning flat.