DictionaryAI

plain

PLAYN/pleɪn/

Adjectiveplainer, plainest

Noun pluralplains

19 meanings of plain

Practice

  1. 1
    adjective
    Simple and without decoration or pattern; in its basic form, with nothing extra added, especially of food prepared or served without sauces, flavorings, or toppings.

    The room was plain, with bare walls and simple wooden furniture.

    She ate plain rice for a few days while her stomach settled.

    UsageBefore a color word, put plain first: a plain white dress.

    Similarsimple, unadorned, basic, bare

    Oppositefancy, ornate, decorated, elaborate

  2. 2
    nouncountable
    A large area of flat or gently rolling land with few trees, often covered in grass; also, any broad, flat expanse, such as of water.

    Buffalo once roamed the grassy plain in enormous numbers.

    Farmers settled the fertile plains along the river valley.

    UsageOften in the plural for a wide region: the plains, the Great Plains. Do not confuse it with plane, an aircraft or flat surface.

    Similargrassland, prairie, flatland

    Note

    The noun is the adjective turned into ground. Latin plānum, "level ground," is simply the neuter of plānus, the "flat" behind the old "level" adjective. John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667) gives the city of Rabba "her watery plain," a reminder that a plain is defined by its levelness, not by dryness.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

    • The noun ultimately derives from Latin plānum, meaning level ground, a substantivized neuter of plānus. en.wiktionary.org
    • Latin plānus also underlies the English adjective plain, meaning flat or level. en.wiktionary.org
    • John Milton wrote Paradise Lost, first published in 1667. gutenberg.org
    • Paradise Lost describes Rabba with the words “her watery plain,” in modernized spelling. gutenberg.org
    • Rabba is a city. en.wikipedia.org
  3. 3
    obviousadjective
    Evident to the senses or reason; obvious, clear, and impossible to mistake.

    His disappointment was plain from the look on his face.

    It soon became plain that the plan would not work.

    UsageUsually after be or become, often with it: it was plain that she was upset. Also make something plain.

    Similarclear, obvious, evident, apparent, manifest

    Oppositeunclear, hidden, obscure

    Note

    Most at home after be or become, often with an anticipatory it: it is plain that the plan failed. Thomas Carlyle's Past and Present (1843) stretches the pattern out, with "it is now becoming plain everywhere" set between commas before the fact it announces. Clear and evident fit the same slot, but plain adds a note of the obvious: the thing nobody could miss.

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Thomas Carlyle wrote Past and Present, first published in 1843. searcharchives.bl.uk
    • Carlyle uses the exact phrase “it is now becoming plain everywhere” as a parenthesis between commas before completing the assertion. gutenberg.org
  4. 4
    adverbcolloquial
    Simply; used to emphasize, often meaning downright or utterly.

    The whole idea is plain ridiculous.

    She was plain exhausted after the long trip.

    UsageGoes before an adjective or verb, often after just: just plain wrong, plain ridiculous, I plain forgot.

    Similarsimply, downright, utterly, totally, absolutely

  5. 5
    adjective
    Complete and utter; downright, used to intensify what follows.

    His behavior at the meeting was plain rudeness, nothing less.

    Calling it an accident is plain dishonesty.

    UsageGoes before a noun, often after just: just plain nonsense. After the verb (the nonsense was plain) it means obvious.

    Similarsheer, utter, downright, outright, pure

  6. 6
    adjective
    Simple and unsophisticated in habits or character; ordinary, not exceptional.

    He was a plain man who cared little for fashion or fame.

    Their tastes remained plain despite their growing wealth.

    Similarsimple, ordinary, unpretentious, modest, humble

    Oppositesophisticated, pretentious, extravagant

    Note

    Said of people, plain can praise as much as it describes. Abraham Lincoln's Message to Congress of 1861 speaks of "the plain people," and Henry Hammond's Of Fundamentals (1654) of "plain yet pious Christians." In just plain people the word is warm, not dismissive. It says nothing about looks, which is what separates it from the "not beautiful" sense.

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

  7. 7
    not prettyadjective
    Not especially beautiful or attractive; ordinary in looks.

    She thought herself plain, though her friends strongly disagreed.

    The portrait showed a plain woman with a steady, intelligent gaze.

    UsageGentler than ugly, but it can still sting when said of a person. Often softened: rather plain.

    Similarunattractive, homely, ordinary

    Oppositebeautiful, attractive, pretty

    Note

    A judgment of looks, and the noun plainness carries it too. John le Carré's A Perfect Spy (1986) describes a beautiful woman whose plainness "kept slipping like a bad disguise." The word usually describes faces and people, and it sits on the gentle side of unattractive: ordinary to look at rather than ugly.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • John le Carré wrote A Perfect Spy, first published in 1986. johnlecarre.com
    • The novel describes a beautiful woman whose plainness "kept slipping like a bad disguise." en.wiktionary.org
  8. 8
    no formattingadjective
    Of text or a file, consisting only of characters, without stored visual formatting such as fonts, styles, or embedded images.

    Many programmers keep their notes in plain text, free of fonts and colors.

    Configuration files are often kept as plain text for easy editing.

    UsageMostly in plain text. Hyphenate it before a noun: a plain-text email.

    Similarunformatted, raw

    Oppositeformatted, rich

    Note

    What matters is what is absent: no fonts, no styles, no embedded images, only the characters themselves. It is the "unadorned" sense applied to characters instead of clothes.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of plain apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1, 3–12

Latin plānus ("flat, even, level") passed through Old French and Anglo-Norman plain and was borrowed as Middle English pleyn. Llano, piano, and plane are doublets.

Meanings 2, 13–14, 17

Latin plānus ("level, even, flat") had a noun use, plānum ("level ground, a plain"), which became Old French plain and then this English word. Llano, piano, and plane are doublets.

Meanings 15–16

Latin plangere gave Anglo-Norman and Old French pleindre, plaindre, and a variant of that, Anglo-Norman plainer, pleiner, is the source.

Meaning 18

Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós, meaning "full," led to Proto-Italic *plēnos and Latin plēnus ("full, filled, complete"). Old French made it plein, and Middle English borrowed it as pleyn. Plene, plenary, and full are doublets.