plain
playn
Plain (adj) means Simple and without decoration or extra features. Example: “She wore a plain white dress to the interview.”
adj
1
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."
"The hotel room was plain, with white walls and a single wooden chair."
2
Clear and obvious.
"It was plain from her expression that she disagreed."
"It was plain that the old bridge could not bear much more weight."
"The mistake is plain to see once you look at the second page."
3
Honest and direct in manner or speech.
"He gave us his plain opinion without sugarcoating it."
"I appreciate her plain speaking; she always tells you exactly what she thinks."
"Give me a plain answer: are you coming to the party or not?"
noun
1
A large area of flat land.
"Herds of bison once roamed the great plains."
"The train crossed a vast plain where nothing but grass stretched to the horizon."
"Farmers grow wheat on the fertile plain below the mountains."
How to use plain
Learner’s notesIn 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.
Common pairings
plain and simple
in plain sight
open plain
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Word forms
- Plural
- plains
- Third person singular
- plains
- Past tense
- plained
- Comparative
- plainer
- Superlative
- plainest
Fill the gap
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."
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for plain
See all rhymes for plain →Frequently asked questions
What does “plain” mean?
The word “plain” means simple and without decoration or extra features. In plain terms, simple, undecorated, or obviously clear — or, as a noun, a stretch of flat open land.
How do you pronounce “plain”?
“Plain” is pronounced playn (/pleɪn/ in IPA).
How do you use “plain” in a sentence?
Here is “plain” used in a sentence: “She wore a plain white dress to the interview.”
What part of speech is “plain”?
Depending on how it is used, “plain” can be an adjective and a noun.
Where does the word “plain” come from?
The word “plain” comes from Latin. From Latin planus, "flat, level," via Old French plain — a doublet of "plane," "piano," and "llano.".
Is “plain” a common word?
“Plain” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “plain” have?
“Plain” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: simple and without decoration or extra features.
What is the difference between plain and plane?
Plain and plane sound identical but differ in meaning. Plain means simple and undecorated, or a large flat stretch of land. Plane refers to a flat surface, an aircraft, a carpenter's smoothing tool, or a tall tree. Remember: a plain is grassy, while a plane flies.
What is the opposite of plain?
In the sense of undecorated, the opposite of plain is fancy, ornate, elaborate, or decorated. When plain describes something ordinary, opposites include striking or eye-catching; when it means clear and simple, an opposite might be complicated. The right antonym depends on which sense you mean.
Does plain mean boring?
Not necessarily. Plain often carries a neutral or positive sense of clean simplicity — plain design can look elegant and uncluttered. It can shade toward 'dull' or 'unremarkable' in some contexts, but frequently it just means without decoration, straightforward, or honest, as in plain speaking.
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