Standard Lemma guide
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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
The condition of being plain (in all senses)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The product or result of being plain
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
an appearance that is not attractive or beautiful
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: homeliness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: appearance, visual aspect
noun
the appearance of being plain and unpretentious
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: appearance, visual aspect
Narrower terms: chasteness, restraint, simplicity, simpleness, austereness, severity, severeness, bareness, starkness
noun
clarity as a consequence of being perspicuous
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: perspicuity, perspicuousness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: clarity, lucidity, lucidness, pellucidity, clearness, limpidity
noun
the state of being unmixed with other material
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: purity, pureness
History
Etymology tree English plain Proto-Germanic *-in- Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English plainness From plain + -ness.
Across languages
7 source translations are retained for this English entry.
