plain
adjective · adverb · noun
Simple meaning
Simple, ordinary, and without any fancy decoration or special features
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
playnIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpleɪn
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Simple, unaltered.
Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished.
Simple in habits or qualities; unsophisticated, not exceptional, ordinary.
Of just one colour; lacking a pattern.
of food
Having only few ingredients, or no additional ingredients or seasonings; not elaborate, without toppings or extras.
Evident to one's senses or reason; manifest, clear, unmistakable.
adverb
colloquial
Simply.
noun
An expanse of land with relatively low relief and few trees, especially a grassy expanse.
A broad, flat expanse in general, as of water.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
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More ways to use plain
- “They emerged from the woods onto a vast open plain.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Unmistakably (`plain' is often used informally for `plainly').
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A member of one of the tribes of American Indians who lived a nomadic life following the buffalo in the Great Plains of North America.
Annual of southern United States.
Gopher of chiefly grasslands of central North America.
Small rodent of open areas of United States plains states.
This spadefoot toad lives in plains and hills and river bottoms in areas of low rainfall east of the Rocky Mountains.
Ordinary clothing as distinguished from uniforms, work clothes, clerical garb, etc.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.