adj

plain

playn

adj

Simple and without decoration or extra features.

"She wore a plain white dress to the interview."

"I'll just have a plain bagel, no toppings."

Clear and obvious.

"It was plain from her expression that she disagreed."

Honest and direct in manner or speech.

"He gave us his plain opinion without sugarcoating it."

noun

A large area of flat land.

"Herds of bison once roamed the great plains."

How to Use Plain

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSimple, undecorated, or obviously clear — or, as a noun, a stretch of flat open land.

Common mistake

Don't confuse "plain" (simple/flat land) with "plane" (a flat surface, or aircraft) — they sound identical but mean different things.

Easily confused with

plane →

Common pairings

plain and simple in plain sight open plain

Word Forms

plainer comparative, plainer comparative, plained past tense, plained past tense, plains plural, Plains plural, plains singular, plains singular, plainest superlative, plainest superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

She wore a _____ white dress to the interview.

Etymology

From Latin planus, "flat, level," via Old French plain — a doublet of "plane," "piano," and "llano."

Rhymes for plain

ain rain pain lain gain main vain fain bain Iain Jain Cain

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