plain

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plain

simple; clearly evident; unpretentious; unadorned: plain truth
Not to be confused with:
plane – a carpenter’s tool; to smooth: plane the wood; to travel by airplane
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

plain

 (plān)
adj. plain·er, plain·est
1. Free from obstructions; open; clear: in plain view.
2. Obvious to the perception or mind; evident: make one's intention plain. See Synonyms at apparent.
3.
a. Not elaborate or complicated; simple: plain food.
b. Marked by little or no ornamentation or decoration: plain garb.
c. Straightforward; frank or candid: plain talk.
d. Not pretentious; unaffected.
e. Lacking beauty or distinction: a plain face.
4. Not mixed with other substances; pure: plain water.
5. Common in rank or station; average; ordinary: a plain man.
6. Not dyed, twilled, or patterned: a plain fabric.
7. Sheer; utter; unqualified: plain stupidity.
8. Archaic Having no visible elevation or depression; flat; level.
n.
1.
a. often plains An extensive, level, usually treeless area of land.
b. A broad level expanse, as a part of the sea floor or a lunar mare.
2. Something free of ornamentation or extraneous matter.
adv. Informal
Clearly; simply: plain stubborn.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin plānus; see pelə- in Indo-European roots.]

plain′ly adv.
plain′ness n.
Synonyms: plain, modest, simple, unpretentious
These adjectives mean not ornate, ostentatious, or showy: a plain hairstyle; a modest cottage; a simple dark suit; an unpretentious country church.
Antonym: ornate
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

plain

(pleɪn)
adj
1. flat or smooth; level
2. not complicated; clear: the plain truth.
3. not difficult; simple or easy: a plain task.
4. honest or straightforward
5. lowly, esp in social rank or education
6. without adornment or show: a plain coat.
7. (Textiles) (of fabric) without pattern or of simple untwilled weave
8. not attractive
9. not mixed; simple: plain vodka.
10. (Knitting & Sewing) knitting of or done in plain
n
11. (Physical Geography) a level or almost level tract of country, esp an extensive treeless region
12. (Knitting & Sewing) 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
13. (Billiards & Snooker) (in billiards)
a. the unmarked white ball, as distinguished from the spot balls
b. the player using this ball
14. (Brewing) (in Ireland) short for plain porter, a light porter: two pints of plain, please.
adv
(intensifier): just plain tired.
[C13: from Old French: simple, from Latin plānus level, distinct, clear]
ˈplainly adv
ˈplainness n

plain

(pleɪn)
vb
a dialect or poetic word for complain
[C14 pleignen, from Old French plaindre to lament, from Latin plangere to beat]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

plain

(pleɪn)

adj. -er, -est,
adv., n. adj.
1. clear or distinct to the eye or ear: in plain view.
2. clear to the mind; evident: to make one's meaning plain.
3. easily understood: plain talk.
4. downright; sheer; utter: plain stupidity.
5. free from ambiguity or evasion; candid: the plain truth.
6. without special pretensions; ordinary: plain people.
7. not beautiful; unattractive: a plain face.
8. without intricacies or difficulties.
9. with little or no embellishment or decoration: a plain blue suit.
10. without a pattern, figure, or device: a plain fabric.
11. not rich, highly seasoned, or elaborately prepared, as food.
12. flat or level: plain country.
adv.
13. clearly and simply: They're just plain stupid.
n.
14. an area of land not significantly higher than adjacent areas and with relatively minor differences in elevation, commonly less than 500 ft. (150 m), within the area.
15. The Plains, Great Plains.
[1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Latin plānus flat, level, plānum flat country]
plain′ly, adv.
plain′ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

plain

(plān)
1. An extensive, level, usually treeless area of land.
2. A broad, level expanse, such as an area of the sea floor or a lunar mare.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

plain


Past participle: plained
Gerund: plaining

Imperative
plain
plain
Present
I plain
you plain
he/she/it plains
we plain
you plain
they plain
Preterite
I plained
you plained
he/she/it plained
we plained
you plained
they plained
Present Continuous
I am plaining
you are plaining
he/she/it is plaining
we are plaining
you are plaining
they are plaining
Present Perfect
I have plained
you have plained
he/she/it has plained
we have plained
you have plained
they have plained
Past Continuous
I was plaining
you were plaining
he/she/it was plaining
we were plaining
you were plaining
they were plaining
Past Perfect
I had plained
you had plained
he/she/it had plained
we had plained
you had plained
they had plained
Future
I will plain
you will plain
he/she/it will plain
we will plain
you will plain
they will plain
Future Perfect
I will have plained
you will have plained
he/she/it will have plained
we will have plained
you will have plained
they will have plained
Future Continuous
I will be plaining
you will be plaining
he/she/it will be plaining
we will be plaining
you will be plaining
they will be plaining
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been plaining
you have been plaining
he/she/it has been plaining
we have been plaining
you have been plaining
they have been plaining
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been plaining
you will have been plaining
he/she/it will have been plaining
we will have been plaining
you will have been plaining
they will have been plaining
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been plaining
you had been plaining
he/she/it had been plaining
we had been plaining
you had been plaining
they had been plaining
Conditional
I would plain
you would plain
he/she/it would plain
we would plain
you would plain
they would plain
Past Conditional
I would have plained
you would have plained
he/she/it would have plained
we would have plained
you would have plained
they would have plained
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

plain

A large tract of almost level land.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.plain - extensive tract of level open landplain - extensive tract of level open land; "they emerged from the woods onto a vast open plain"; "he longed for the fields of his youth"
flat - a level tract of land; "the salt flats of Utah"
flood plain, floodplain - a low plain adjacent to a river that is formed chiefly of river sediment and is subject to flooding
dry land, ground, solid ground, terra firma, earth, land - the solid part of the earth's surface; "the plane turned away from the sea and moved back over land"; "the earth shook for several minutes"; "he dropped the logs on the ground"
llano - an extensive grassy and nearly treeless plain (especially in Latin America)
moorland, moor - open land usually with peaty soil covered with heather and bracken and moss
peneplain, peneplane - a more or less level land surface representing an advanced stage of erosion undisturbed by crustal movements
snowfield - a permanent wide expanse of snow
steppe - extensive plain without trees (associated with eastern Russia and Siberia)
tundra - a vast treeless plain in the Arctic regions where the subsoil is permanently frozen
2.plain - a basic knitting stitch
knitting stitch - a stitch taken in knitting
Verb1.plain - express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness; "My mother complains all day"; "She has a lot to kick about"
hen-peck, nag, peck - bother persistently with trivial complaints; "She nags her husband all day long"
backbite - say mean things
grizzle, yammer, yawp, whine - complain whiningly
gnarl, grumble, murmur, mutter, croak - make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath; "she grumbles when she feels overworked"
grouch, grumble, scold - show one's unhappiness or critical attitude; "He scolded about anything that he thought was wrong"; "We grumbled about the increased work load"
protest - utter words of protest
repine - express discontent
beef, bellyache, gripe, grouse, squawk, holler, crab - complain; "What was he hollering about?"
inveigh, rail - complain bitterly
bemoan, bewail, deplore, lament - regret strongly; "I deplore this hostile action"; "we lamented the loss of benefits"
report - complain about; make a charge against; "I reported her to the supervisor"
bleat - talk whiningly
Adj.1.plain - clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment; "the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields"; "evident hostility"; "manifest disapproval"; "patent advantages"; "made his meaning plain"; "it is plain that he is no reactionary"; "in plain view"
obvious - easily perceived by the senses or grasped by the mind; "obvious errors"
2.plain - not elaborate or elaborated; simple; "plain food"; "stuck to the plain facts"; "a plain blue suit"; "a plain rectangular brick building"
unadorned, undecorated - not decorated with something to increase its beauty or distinction
unpretentious - lacking pretension or affectation; "an unpretentious country church"; "her quiet unpretentious demeanor"
unrhetorical - not rhetorical
simple - having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved; "a simple problem"; "simple mechanisms"; "a simple design"; "a simple substance"
fancy - not plain; decorative or ornamented; "fancy handwriting"; "fancy clothes"
3.plain - lacking patterns especially in colorplain - lacking patterns especially in color
patterned - having patterns (especially colorful patterns)
4.plain - not mixed with extraneous elementsplain - not mixed with extraneous elements; "plain water"; "sheer wine"; "not an unmixed blessing"
pure - free of extraneous elements of any kind; "pure air and water"; "pure gold"; "pure primary colors"; "the violin's pure and lovely song"; "pure tones"; "pure oxygen"
5.plain - free from any effort to soften to disguiseplain - free from any effort to soften to disguise; "the plain and unvarnished truth"; "the unvarnished candor of old people and children"
direct - straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action; "a direct question"; "a direct response"; "a direct approach"
6.plain - lacking embellishment or ornamentationplain - lacking embellishment or ornamentation; "a plain hair style"; "unembellished white walls"; "functional architecture featuring stark unornamented concrete"
unadorned, undecorated - not decorated with something to increase its beauty or distinction
7.plain - lacking in physical beauty or proportion; "a homely child"; "several of the buildings were downright homely"; "a plain girl with a freckled face"
unattractive - lacking beauty or charm; "as unattractive as most mining regions"
Adv.1.plain - unmistakably (`plain' is often used informally for `plainly')plain - unmistakably (`plain' is often used informally for `plainly'); "the answer is obviously wrong"; "she was in bed and evidently in great pain"; "he was manifestly too important to leave off the guest list"; "it is all patently nonsense"; "she has apparently been living here for some time"; "I thought he owned the property, but apparently not"; "You are plainly wrong"; "he is plain stubborn"
colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

plain

adjective
1. unadorned, simple, basic, severe, pure, bare, modest, stark, restrained, muted, discreet, austere, spartan, unfussy, unvarnished, unembellished, unornamented, unpatterned a plain grey stone house, distinguished by its unspoilt simplicity Her dress was plain, but it hung well on her.
unadorned adorned, decorated, fancy, ornate
4. ugly, ordinary, unattractive, homely (U.S. & Canad.), not striking, unlovely, unprepossessing, not beautiful, no oil painting (informal), ill-favoured, unalluring a shy, rather plain girl with a pale complexion
ugly beautiful, attractive, handsome, good-looking, gorgeous, comely
noun
1. flatland, plateau, prairie, grassland, mesa, lowland, steppe, open country, pampas, tableland, veld, llano Once there were 70 million buffalo on the plains.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

plain

adjective
2. Easily seen through due to a lack of subtlety:
3. Not elaborate or showy, as in appearance or style:
4. Without addition, decoration, or qualification:
5. Free from extraneous elements:
6. Not diluted or mixed with other substances:
8. Not handsome or beautiful:
Idioms: not much for looks, not much to look at, short on looks.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
بَسِيطبَسيط، خالٍ من الجَمالبَسيط، عاديسَهْلسَهْل الفَهْم، واضِح
jasnýjednoduchýnehezkýnezdobenýoko pletené hladce
slettetydeligåbenærligalmindelig
tasankoyksinkertainenselvätasainen
običanravnica
egyszerűnem csinossíkságsima szem
augljós, greinilegur, auîskilinneinfaldur, látlausgreinilegurhreinskilinnófríîur
平原平坦な
평야평평한
civiliniai drabužiaigrynas šokoladaskaip iš pypkėslygus mezgimaspaprastais žodžiais
acīmredzamsatklātslabiskais valdziņšlīdzenumsneizskatīgs
nepeknýočko pletené hladko
domačjasennavadennedvoumennevzorčast
enkelrätstickningvanlig
ที่ราบราบเรียบ
bằng phẳngđồng bằng

plain

[pleɪn]
A. ADJ (plainer (compar) (plainest (superl)))
1. (= clear, obvious) → claro, evidente
it is plain thates evidente or obvio que, está claro que
to make sth plain (to sb)poner algo de manifiesto (a algn), dejar algo claro
you have made your feelings plainhas puesto tus sentimientos de manifiesto, has dejado claros tus sentimientos
her guilt was plain to seesaltaba a la vista que era culpable
it's as plain as a pikestaff or as the nose on your face or as dayestá más claro que el agua
2. (= outspoken, honest) → franco
I shall be plain with youle hablaré con toda franqueza, seré franco con usted
let me be plain with youdéjeme que le hable claramente or sin rodeos, permítame que le hable con franqueza (frm)
plain dealingnegocios mpl limpios
3. (= unadorned) [answer] → franco; [living] → sencillo, sin lujo; [food, cooking] → sencillo, corriente; [language, style] → sencillo, llano; [envelope] → en blanco; [paper] → liso; [fabric] → de un solo color, liso
he drank plain waterbebió agua nada más
they're very plain peoplees gente muy sencilla or llana
she used to be plain Miss Jonesantes se llamaba la Srta. Jones sin más
it's just plain common sensees de sentido común
in plain clothes [policeman] → (vestido) de civil or paisano
in plain English or language (= understandably) → en lenguaje claro or sencillo; (= frankly) → (hablando) sin rodeos
the plain truthla verdad lisa y llana
it's plain sailing from now ona partir de ahora es pan comido
4. (= not pretty) → poco atractivo
she's terribly plainno es nada atractiva
to be a plain Janeser una chica poco atractiva, ser más bien fea
B. ADV
1. (= completely) he's plain wrongno tiene razón, y punto
it's just plain stupides una ridiculez absoluta or total
2. (= simply) → claramente, con toda claridad
I can't put it plainer than thatmás claramente no lo puedo decir, no lo puedo decir con más claridad
he told me quite plain thatme dijo claramente or con toda claridad que ...
C. N
1. (Geog) → llanura f, llano m
the Great Plains (US) → las Grandes Llanuras
2. (Knitting) → punto m sencillo
D. CPD plain chocolate Nchocolate m amargo or sin leche
plain flour Nharina f sin levadura
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

plain

[ˈpleɪn]
adj
(= clear) → clair(e)
it is plain that ... → il est clair que ...
to make it plain to sb that ... → faire clairement comprendre à qn que ...
He made it plain to her that her job was under threat → Il lui a fait clairement comprendre que son emploi était menacé.
(= simple) → simple
a plain dress → une robe simple
I enjoy good plain food → J'apprécie une nourriture simple et saine.
(= in one colour) → uni(e)
a plain carpet → un tapis uni
a plain white blouse → un chemisier blanc uni
a plain envelope → une enveloppe ordinaire
(= frank) [answer] → franc(franche)
Let me be plain with you → Je serai franc avec vous.
(= ordinary looking) → quelconque
a shy, rather plain girl with pigtails → une fille timide, plutôt quelconque, portant des couettes
[cigarette] → sans filtre
advtout bonnement
The food was just plain terrible → La nourriture était tout bonnement infecte.
to be plain wrong [thing] → être complètement faux; [person] → avoir tout à fait tort
n
(= prairie) → plaine f
(in knitting)point m mousse
one plain, one purl → une maille à l'endroit, une maille à l'enversplain chocolate nchocolat m à croquerplain-clothes [ˌpleɪnˈkləʊðz] adj
a plain-clothes policeman → un policier en civilplain clothes npl
in plain clothes → en civilplain flour nfarine f ordinaire (sans levure ajoutée)plain language nlangage m clair
in plain language → en langage clair
a booklet summarizing the scheme in plain language → un livret résumant le dispositif en langage clair
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

plain

adj (+er)
klar; (= obvious)offensichtlich, klar; tracks, differencesdeutlich; it is plain to see that …es ist offensichtlich, dass …; it’s as plain as the nose on your face (inf)das sieht doch ein Blinder (mit Krückstock) (inf); (as) plain as daysonnenklar; to make something plain to somebodyjdm etw klarmachen or klar zu verstehen geben; the reason is plain to seeder Grund ist leicht einzusehen; I’d like to make it quite plain that …ich möchte gern klarstellen, dass …; did I make myself or my meaning plain?habe ich mich klar ausgedrückt?; to make one’s view plainseine Meinung klar zum Ausdruck bringen
(= frank, straightforward) question, answerklar; truthschlicht; statementklar, deutlich; plain dealingRedlichkeit f; to be plain with somebodyjdm gegenüber offen or direkt sein; in plain language or Englishunmissverständlich, auf gut Deutsch; in plain language or English, the answer is noum es klar or auf gut Deutsch zu sagen: die Antwort ist nein; it was plain sailinges ging glatt (über die Bühne) (inf); it won’t all be plain sailinges wird gar nicht so einfach sein; from now on it’ll be plain sailingvon jetzt an geht es ganz einfach
(= simple, with nothing added)einfach; dress, design, livingschlicht, einfach; cooking, food(gut)bürgerlich; cookeinfach, gutbürgerlich; waterklar; paperunliniert; envelopeeinfach; coloureinheitlich; cigarettefilterlos, ohne Filter; in a plain colour (Brit) or color (US) → einfarbig, uni pred; under plain coverin neutraler Verpackung; (= in envelope)in neutralem Umschlag; he’s a plain Mrer ist einfach Herr Sowieso; he used to be plain Mr Xfrüher war er einfach or schlicht Herr X
(= sheer)rein; nonsense etcrein, völlig, blank (inf); it’s just plain common sensedas ist einfach gesunder Menschenverstand
(= not beautiful) person, appearance, faceunattraktiv; she really is so plainsie ist recht unansehnlich; plain Janeunattraktives or unansehnliches Mädchen; she’s a real plain Janesie ist nicht gerade hübsch or eine Schönheit
adv
(inf: = simply, completely) → (ganz) einfach; plain stupid/wrongeinfach dumm/falsch
I can’t put it plainer than thatdeutlicher kann ich es nicht sagen
n
(Geog) → Ebene f, → Flachland nt; the plainsdas Flachland, die Ebene; (in North America) → die Prärie
(Knitting) → rechte Masche

plain

:
plain chocolate
n (Brit) → (Zart)bitterschokolade f
plain clothes
pl in plainin Zivil
adj plain-clothesin Zivil; a plain-clothes policemanein Polizist min Zivil
plainclothesman
n pl <-men> → Polizist min Zivil, Zivile(r) m (inf)
plain flour
nMehl nt (ohne beigemischtes Backpulver)

plain

:
plainsong
nCantus planus m, → gregorianischer Gesang
plain speaking
nOffenheit f; some/a bit of plainein paar offene Worte
plain-spoken
adjoffen, direkt; criticism alsounverhohlen; to be plainsagen, was man denkt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

plain

[pleɪn]
1. adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl)))
a. (clear, obvious) → chiaro/a, palese, evidente; (path, track) → ben segnato/a
it's as plain as a pikestaff or as the nose on your face (fam) → è chiaro come il sole
you have made your feelings plain → ti sei spiegato benissimo
to make sth plain to sb → far capire chiaramente qc a qn
do I make myself plain? → mi sono spiegato?
b. (outspoken, honest, frank) → franco/a, aperto/a, schietto/a
plain dealing → sincerità, franchezza
in plain language or English → in parole povere
I shall be plain with you → sarò franco con te
c. (simple, with nothing added) → semplice; (paper, unlined) → non rigato/a; (fabric, in one colour) → in tinta unita inv; (without seasoning) → scondito/a
the plain truth → la pura verità
he's a plain man → è un uomo semplice
plain stitch (Knitting) → maglia a diritto
it's just plain commonsense (fam) → è una questione di semplice buon senso
to send sth under plain cover → spedire qc in busta riservata
d. (not pretty) → insignificante, scialbo/a
2. adv
a. (fam) (simply, completely) → semplicemente
b. (clearly) I can't put it plainer than thatnon potrei esprimermi più chiaramente
3. n
a. (Geog) → pianura
b. (Knitting) → (maglia a) diritto
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

plain

(plein) adjective
1. simple or ordinary; without ornament or decoration. plain living; good, plain food.
2. easy to understand; clear. His words were quite plain.
3. absolutely open or honest, with no attempt to be tactful. I'll be quite plain with you; plain speaking.
4. obvious. It's plain (to see) you haven't been practising your music.
5. not pretty. a rather plain girl.
noun
1. a large flat level piece of land. the plains of central Canada.
2. a kind of knitting stitch.
ˈplainly adverb
ˈplainness noun
plain chocolate
dark chocolate not containing milk.
plain clothes ordinary clothes, not a uniform: Detectives usually wear plain clothes; adjective (etc)
a plain-clothes job.
plain sailing
progress without difficulty.
ˌplain-ˈspoken adjective
speaking honestly and candidly, not trying to be tactful. She is a very plain-spoken person who always says what she means.
in plain English
in simple words; clearly expressed. Would you mind explaining it in plain English?
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

plain

بَسِيط, سَهْل nezdobený, pláň ensartet, slette Ebene, schlicht απέριττος, πεδιάδα llanura, sencillo tasainen, tasanko plaine, simple običan, ravnica pianura, semplice 平原, 平坦な 평야, 평평한 effen, vlakte jevn, slette gładki, równina planície, plano плоский, равнина enkel, rätstickning ที่ราบ, ราบเรียบ düz, ova bằng phẳng, đồng bằng 平原, 简单的
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

plain

a. común, ordinario-a.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012