plain
plain — adjective
- plainpositive
- plainercomparative
- plainestsuperlative
1. simple in appearance, taste, or form, without decoration, pattern, or extra thin
simple in appearance, taste, or form, without decoration, pattern, or extra things added.
Maya wore a plain white shirt to the school concert.
collocation: plain shirt
We ordered plain noodles for Leo because his stomach hurt.
collocation: plain food
The hotel room looked plain, but it was clean and quiet.
Dad likes plain yogurt with fruit instead of sweet flavors.
- plain white shirt
- plain noodles
- plain yogurt
- plain room
- simple
broad and neutral; can describe style, design, or structure
- undecorated
focuses on the lack of ornament rather than food or taste
- pure
fits best when nothing has been mixed in, especially with food or materials
Grammar Patterns
plain + clothes / room / food / design
Usage Note
Common with clothes, rooms, and food. Distinguish from adjective/8 NOTHING SPECIAL: this sense is about having no added decoration or flavor, not about being low in importance or interest.
2. so easy to notice or understand that it does not need further explanation.
so easy to notice or understand that it does not need further explanation.
By sunset, it was plain that the hikers were lost.
it is plain that + clause
The anger on Rosa's face was plain to everyone.
be plain to + person
After one look at the wet floor, the danger was plain.
After the freezer leaked, it became plain why the shop closed early.
become plain + wh-clause
- plain to see
- plain to everyone
- it was plain that
- became plain why
Grammar Patterns
it is plain that + clause
be plain to + person
become plain + wh-clause
Usage Note
Often appears in fixed patterns such as 'it is plain that ...' and 'plain to everyone'. Distinguish from adjective/7 OPEN AND HONEST, which describes the way someone speaks rather than how clear a fact is.
3. used before a noun to stress that something is total, complete, or beyond doubt.
used before a noun to stress that something is total, complete, or beyond doubt.
Calling that broken chair an antique was plain nonsense.
plain + noun for strong emphasis
Missing both morning trains was plain bad luck.
Tom's story about walking Mars was a plain lie.
collocation: plain lie
Paying twice for one meal was plain stupidity.
- plain nonsense
- plain lie
- plain bad luck
- plain stupidity
- partial
not total or complete
Grammar Patterns
plain + lie / nonsense / waste / stupidity
Usage Note
This emphatic use is mainly before nouns. Distinguish from adverb/1 COMPLETELY, which usually strengthens a verb or adjective instead.
4. describing paper with a blank surface and no printed lines or pattern on it.
describing paper with a blank surface and no printed lines or pattern on it.
Please use plain paper for the drawing test today.
collocation: plain paper
Nora wrote the note on plain paper from the printer tray.
The teacher handed out plain sheets for our quick map sketch.
common noun partners: paper / sheets
Ben wrapped the class photo in plain paper before mailing it.
- plain paper
- plain sheet
- plain card
- write on plain paper
Grammar Patterns
plain + paper / sheet / card
Usage Note
Mostly used with paper, sheets, cards, and similar writing material.
5. used to show that someone or something is entirely ordinary and has nothing spec
used to show that someone or something is entirely ordinary and has nothing special about it.
It was just a plain wooden table, not a family treasure.
plain for something ordinary, not special
Omar chose the plain gray cup instead of the gold one.
From the bus window, the village looked plain beside the bright beach town.
Nina was a plain office worker, not a television star.
- plain wooden table
- plain gray cup
- plain village
- plain office worker
- special
different from the ordinary in a positive or important way
- remarkable
noticeably unusual or impressive
Grammar Patterns
plain + house / dress / town / cup
Usage Note
This sense judges something as ordinary or not remarkable. Distinguish from adjective/1 NO EXTRA DETAILS, which is about a lack of decoration or added parts.
6. used mainly after look or seem to say someone's face, especially a female person
used mainly after look or seem to say someone's face, especially a female person's, is not attractive.
Grace thought she looked plain beside her two older cousins.
plain after linking verb about appearance
The film unfairly calls the older sister plain beside Emma.
At school, Mira worried that boys would think she looked plain.
In the novel, the prince first thinks the farmer's daughter looks plain.
- look plain
- plain face
- seem plain
- call someone plain
- unattractive
a direct and neutral description
- ordinary-looking
softer and less judgmental
Grammar Patterns
look plain
be plain
Usage Note
This use can sound old-fashioned or unkind. A more neutral modern phrase is 'ordinary-looking'.
7. used before words such as 'girl' or 'woman' to describe someone whose looks are
used before words such as 'girl' or 'woman' to describe someone whose looks are ordinary rather than striking.
The writer describes Anna as a plain girl from the village.
a plain + girl / woman
In the play, the plain daughter surprises everyone with her sharp mind.
The matchmaker dismissed Lily as a plain young woman.
The story begins with a plain farm girl in brown shoes.
- a plain girl
- a plain woman
- plain daughter
- plain farm girl
- ordinary-looking
a gentler modern description
- unattractive
more direct and more general
- beautiful
having striking beauty
Grammar Patterns
a plain + girl / woman / daughter
Usage Note
Mostly found before nouns in descriptions of female characters. Distinguish from adjective/5 LACKING BEAUTY, which can be used after a linking verb, as in 'she looked plain'.
8. speaking in an open way, without hiding what you mean or trying to fool people.
speaking in an open way, without hiding what you mean or trying to fool people.
Bea gave me a plain answer instead of a polite excuse.
collocation: plain answer
The doctor was plain about the risks before surgery.
be plain about + subject
Coach Lin's plain words upset the team, but nobody felt fooled.
Please be plain with Dad if the roof repairs will cost more.
be plain with + person
- plain answer
- plain words
- be plain with me
- be plain about the risks
Grammar Patterns
be plain with + person
be plain about + subject
Usage Note
Often used when someone speaks directly about a difficult truth. It can suggest honesty, but also a lack of softening.
be plain sailing
idiomA situation that is easy and has no problems.
After the first week, the project was plain sailing for Min.
Was the move to the new house plain sailing for your family?
in plain English
idiomUsing simple and clear language that everyone can understand.
Could you explain the rules in plain English, please?
The manual was written in plain English, so Diego had no trouble.
Something that is very obvious and easy to see or understand.
Her disappointment was as plain as day after the match.
Isn't the solution as plain as the nose on your face?
plain — noun
- plainsingular
- plainsplural
1. a wide stretch of open, mostly level land with few trees.
a wide stretch of open, mostly level land with few trees.
Wild horses ran across the plain after the morning rain.
across the plain
From the hill, we could see miles of dry plain.
The train crossed a wide plain before reaching the mountains.
Many plains turn green after heavy spring storms.
plural: plains
- wide plain
- dry plain
- across the plain
- on the plains
Grammar Patterns
across the plain
on the plains
Usage Note
Often used for large open areas in geography, travel writing, and history.
2. the basic knitting stitch made by drawing the yarn through from the front.
the basic knitting stitch made by drawing the yarn through from the front.
This scarf is made mostly in plain, with two blue stripes.
plain in knitting instructions
Grandma taught me plain before she showed me purl.
plain and purl
This mitten pattern starts with six rows of plain on thin needles.
rows of plain
After one hour of plain, Nina's scarf finally looked even.
- rows of plain
- plain and purl
- work in plain
- learn plain first
- knit stitch
the clearer modern term in many knitting guides
- purl
the basic stitch paired with plain in knitting
Grammar Patterns
rows of plain
plain and purl
Usage Note
A specialized knitting term. Learners are more likely to meet it in patterns than in everyday conversation.
plain — adverb
1. completely or in a very obvious way, used to make a statement stronger.
completely or in a very obvious way, used to make a statement stronger.
Jake plain forgot my birthday until the next morning.
plain + verb
That old motor is plain too weak for this boat.
plain + adjective
The dog plain refuses to eat from the metal bowl.
We were plain lucky to catch the last bus home.
- plain forgot
- plain too weak
- plain refuses
- plain lucky
- absolutely
stronger and more common in standard English
- simply
can also work as an intensifier, though often in a more neutral tone
- downright
informal and emphatic, often before negative adjectives
Grammar Patterns
plain + verb
plain + adjective
Usage Note
Usually placed before the word it strengthens. Distinguish from adjective/4 ABSOLUTE, which appears before a noun such as 'lie' or 'nonsense'.
plain — verb
- plainpresent simple I / you / we / they
- plains3rd person singular
- plaining-ing form
- plainedpast simple
1. to speak in a dissatisfied way about something, often more than once.
to speak in a dissatisfied way about something, often more than once.
The passengers began to plain about the delay as rain hit windows.
plain about + problem
At lunch, Mara plained to the waiter about her cold tea.
plain to + person
The boys always plain about carrying wet tents at summer camp.
After two night shifts, Ellen plained that the job left no rest.
plain that + clause
- plain about the delay
- plain to the waiter
- plain all morning
- plain that the job was unfair
- praise
to speak positively instead of showing dissatisfaction
Grammar Patterns
plain about + problem
plain to + person
plain that + clause
Usage Note
Now much rarer than 'complain'. It usually takes the same patterns, especially 'plain about' and 'plain to'.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- plainlyadverbB2
- plainnessnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
For adjective/1, plain is the best choice when something has no extra decoration, flavor, or detail. Simple overlaps with it, but simple is broader: it can describe ideas, machines, or instructions, and it does not always suggest a bare look. Basic often means only the minimum is provided, especially for equipment, services, or skills, so a basic hotel room may still have decorations. Unadorned is more formal and is used mainly for style, rooms, or writing. A plain shirt has no pattern; a basic shirt may just be cheap or practical. You can order plain rice, but you would usually say simple instructions, not plain instructions.
Etymology
English plain came through Old French from Latin planus, meaning 'flat' or 'level'. From the idea of a smooth, level surface, English developed the noun sense of open flat land. The adjective then grew wider: something plain could be flat, simple, without decoration, easy to see clearly, or direct and unsoftened because nothing extra was added.