Standard Lemma guide

plain-sailing

adj · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˌpleɪn ˈseɪlɪŋ/
  • homophone: plane sailing
  • rhymes with -eɪlɪŋ

1

adj

Meaning 1

Easy, simple, straightforward.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: as a duck takes to water, basic, easy, easy as 123, easy as ABC, easy as cake, easy as pie, easy as falling off a log, easy as rolling off a log, easy as toffee, easy-breezy, easy peasy, easy peasy Japanesey, easy peasy lemon squeezy, eath, effortless, facile, idiotproof, light, like a duck takes to water, like falling off a log, like riding a bike, like robbing a baby, like shelling peas, like shooting fish in a barrel, like taking candy from a baby, natural, painless, piss-easy, plain-sailing, simple, simple as kiss your hand, simplex, smooth, soft, straightforward, trivial, troublefree, unchallenging, uncomplicated, undemanding, undifficult, yezzy

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From plain (adjective) + sailing. Sense 2 of plain sailing (“something that is easy, simple, or straightforward”, noun) is attested slightly later than the adjective, and so could have been derived from it.