plain

PLAYN/pleɪn/

Adjectiveplainer, plainest

Noun pluralplains

19 meanings of plain

Practice

1
adjective
Simple, with no decoration or pattern. Basic, with nothing extra added, like food served without sauces or toppings.
Like a wall with nothing hanging on it.
He likes his toast plain, with no butter.
She wore a plain blue dress.
UsagePut plain before the color: a plain blue shirt.
Similarsimple, unadorned, basic, bare
Oppositefancy, ornate, decorated, elaborate
2
nouncountable
A large area of flat land with few trees. Also any wide, flat stretch, such as of water.
Like a huge flat field that stretches as far as you can see.
The herd grazed across the open plain at sunrise.
The vast plains stretched for hundreds of miles in every direction.
UsageOften the plains. Don't mix it up with plane, an aircraft.
Similargrassland, prairie, flatland
Note
3
obviousadjective
Very clear and easy to see or understand.
Like big letters on a sign you can read from far away.
It was plain that she was upset about something.
The answer was plain to everyone in the room.
UsageSay it was plain that something was true.
Similarclear, obvious, evident, apparent, manifest
Oppositeunclear, hidden, obscure
Note
4
adverbcolloquial
Simply or completely, used to make what you say stronger.
That's plain wrong, and you know it.
He's just plain tired of waiting around.
UsageSay just plain wrong or plain silly.
Similarsimply, downright, utterly, totally, absolutely
5
adjective
Complete and total, used to stress how clear or bad something is.
That excuse is plain nonsense.
It was plain stupidity to leave the door unlocked.
UsagePut it before a noun: plain nonsense, just plain rudeness.
Similarsheer, utter, downright, outright, pure
6
adjective
Simple and ordinary, not fancy or special.
They were plain country folk who valued hard work.
She led a plain life far from the city.
Similarsimple, ordinary, unpretentious, modest, humble
Oppositesophisticated, pretentious, extravagant
Note
7
not prettyadjective
Not pretty or good-looking, just ordinary to look at.
The shy girl considered herself rather plain.
He had a plain face that was easy to forget.
UsageKinder than ugly, but it can still hurt someone's feelings.
Similarunattractive, homely, ordinary
Oppositebeautiful, attractive, pretty
Note
8
no formattingadjective
Made of only letters, numbers, and other characters, with no fonts, colors, or other formatting.
Like writing with a pencil instead of using colors and fancy shapes.
Save the file as plain text so any computer can open it.
She sent the email in plain text, without bold words or colored headings.
UsageSay plain text, or a plain-text file.
Similarunformatted, raw
Oppositeformatted, rich
Note

Less common meanings

9
honestadjective
Honest and direct, saying things clearly without hiding anything.
Like saying exactly what you think, with nothing hidden.
Let me be plain with you: this idea will not work.
My doctor is always plain with me, even when the news is bad.
UsageSay be plain with someone when you speak honestly.
Similarfrank, candid, blunt, direct, outspoken
Oppositeevasive, indirect
Note
10
adjectivearchaic
Flat and level, without bumps or slopes.
The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.
1611, The Holy Bible, King James VersionHere, plain means flat and level.
Note
11
not trump (cards)adjective
In card games, belonging to a suit that is not the trump suit.
Like a normal card that loses to a special winning card.
She had only plain cards left and no trumps to play.
A plain suit can't beat a trump, no matter how high the card.
Note
12
adverbarchaic
In a clear, direct way that is easy to understand.
Like writing in big clear letters instead of messy scribbles.
Tell me plain whether you will come or not.
She spoke plain, and we all knew her meaning at once.
UsageToday most people say speak plainly.
13
nounarchaic
The open ground where a battle is fought.
Lead forth my soldiers to the plain.
c. 1593, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third:”Here, the plain means the battlefield.
You have stormed no town and found the money there ; neither did you find it in the plains of Plassey after the defeat of the Nawab
1899, Alexander John Arbuthnot, Lord Clive: The Foundation of British Rule in India
Note
14
verbobsoletetransitive
To explain something so that it is clear.
What’s dumb in show, I’ll plain with speech.
c. 1607, William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?]Here, plain means to make clear or explain.
Note
15
verbarchaictransitive or intransitive
To show sadness or unhappiness about something out loud. To lament or complain.
Then came I crying, and to-day, / With heavier cause to plain, / Depart I into death away, / Not to be born again.
1936, Alfred Edward Housman, More PoemsHere, plain means to express sadness or complain.
Thy mother could thee for thy cradle set Her husband's rusty iron corselet; Whose jargling sound might rock her babe to rest, That never plain'd of his uneasy nest.
1597, [Joseph Hall], Virgidemiarum
Note
16
nounrarecountable
A sad song or cry that shows deep grief.
The warrior-threat, the infant's plain, The mother's screams, were heard in vain;
1815, Sir Walter Scott, The Lady of the IslesHere, plain means a cry of sadness.
Similarlament, lamentation, dirge, elegy
Note
17
verbobsoletetransitive
To make ground or a surface flat and smooth.
We would rake Europe rather, plain the East;
1612, George Wither, Prince Henrie’s ObsequiesHere, plain means to flatten or tear down.
Frownst thou thereat aspiring Lancaster, The sworde shall plane the furrowes of thy browes,
1594, Christopher Marlow[e], The Troublesome Raigne and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second
Note
18
adjectiveobsolete
Full and complete in number or amount.
Note
19
adjectivearchaic
Clear and open, with nothing standing in the way.
Our troops beat an army in plain fight.
1711, Henry Felton, Dissertation on Reading the Classics

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

From Latin plānus, meaning "flat, even, level." It came into English through French.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Plain derives from Latin plānus, meaning flat, even, level. en.wiktionary.org
Plain entered English through French. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 2, 13–14, 17

From Latin plānum, meaning "level ground," which came from plānus ("flat, even").

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

The noun plain derives ultimately from Latin plānum. en.wiktionary.org
Latin plānum means level ground. en.wiktionary.org
Latin plānum derives from plānus, meaning flat or even. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 15–16

From Anglo-Norman plainer, a variant of pleindre, from Latin plangere.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Plain derives from Anglo-Norman plainer. en.wiktionary.org
Plainer is a variant of pleindre. en.wiktionary.org
Pleindre derives from Latin plangere. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 18

From Latin plēnus, meaning "full, complete."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Plain, in its obsolete sense ‘full, complete’, derives ultimately from Latin plēnus. en.wiktionary.org
Latin plēnus means ‘full, complete’. en.wiktionary.org