Meaning & use

plain

adjective·Everyday

Simple in appearance, without decoration, and easy to understand.

See it in a sentence

She wore a plain white dress with no jewelry to the interview.

He explained the instructions in plain language so everyone could follow along.

A note on using this word

Plain can describe both physical appearance and clarity of speech or writing, unlike simple, which rarely describes looks alone.

Words with a similar meaning

simpleunadorned

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Another way to use it

2. noun

A large area of flat land with few trees.

Herds of bison once roamed the open plain of the American Midwest.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “plain”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.