The meaning of Plain

adverb

With no qualification, restriction, or limitation; totally.

Usage examples:

She trusted him absolutely

adjective

Clearly visible or understood; obvious.

Usage examples:

For no apparent reason she laughed

adjective

Able to be seen or understood

Usage examples:

[ + that clause ] it was becoming increasingly apparent that he could no longer look after himself.…

adjective

Without guile or deception.

Usage examples:

An artless, naive girl

adjective

Simple and not wanting to deceive

Usage examples:

"why did you take the money?" she asked the child. "because i wanted it," came the artless reply.

noun

A number expressing the central or typical value in a set of data, in particular the mode, median, or (most commonly) the mean, which is calculated by dividing the sum of the values in the set by their number.

Usage examples:

The proportion of over-60s is above the eu average of 19 per cent

adjective

Constituting the result obtained by adding together several amounts and then dividing this total by the number of amounts.

Usage examples:

The average temperature in may was 4°c below normal

verb

Amount to or achieve as an average rate or amount over a period of time; mean.

Usage examples:

Annual inflation averaged 2.4 per cent

adjective

Forming an essential foundation or starting point; fundamental.

Usage examples:

Certain basic rules must be obeyed

noun

The essential facts or principles of a subject or skill.

Usage examples:

I learnt the basics of programming on a course

noun

A simple high-level computer programming language that uses familiar english words, designed for beginners and formerly used widely.

Usage examples:

You could write your own software in the basic programming language

noun

(in south america, especially brazil) a grass plain with occasional stunted trees.

Usage examples:

I spent months visiting our rural communities in the campo

adverb

In a way that is unambiguously explicit and direct.

Usage examples:

The rules state categorically, 'no violence'

phrase

In an absolute, definite, or firm manner

noun

Open level countryside.

adjective

Easy to perceive, understand, or interpret.

Usage examples:

Clear and precise directions

adverb

So as to be out of the way of or away from.

Usage examples:

He leapt clear of the car

verb

Remove an obstruction or unwanted item or items from.

Usage examples:

The drive had been cleared of snow

adverb

Totally; utterly.

Usage examples:

The fire completely destroyed the building

adjective

Able to be discovered or identified.

Usage examples:

An easily detectable and treatable disorder

adjective

That can be noticed or discovered

Usage examples:

There has been no detectable change in the patient's condition., tests show the virus is barely det…

adjective

Able to be discerned; perceptible.

Usage examples:

The scandal had no discernible effect on his career

adjective

(of something bad or unpleasant) utter; complete (used for emphasis).

Usage examples:

It's a downright disgrace

adverb

To an extreme degree; thoroughly.

Usage examples:

He was downright rude

phrase

Complete and without restriction or qualification

adjective

Clearly seen or understood; obvious.

Usage examples:

She ate the biscuits with evident enjoyment

adjective

Easily seen or understood; obvious

Usage examples:

It quickly became evident that someone had broken in., twain’s interest in adam is evident in all h…

noun

Land with no hills, valleys, or mountains.

Usage examples:

The flatlands of lincolnshire

adjective

Very ugly

Usage examples:

Oh, that girl is fugly!

noun

A large open area of country covered with grass, especially one used for grazing.

Usage examples:

Acres of rough grassland

noun

A large area of land covered with grass

Usage examples:

Conservation groups are restoring grasslands in the midwest.

adjective

Devoid of guile; innocent and without deception.

Usage examples:

His face, once so open and guileless

adjective

(of a place or surroundings) simple but cosy and comfortable, as in one's own home.

Usage examples:

A modern hotel with a homely atmosphere

adjective

Simple and unsophisticated.

Usage examples:

Homespun philosophy

noun

Homespun cloth.

Usage examples:

Clad in homespun

adjective

Real or true

Usage examples:

The book is an honest-to-goodness account of her early life.

adverb

In a way that is impossible to doubt because of being obviously true

Usage examples:

Your assertion is incontrovertibly true., he is, incontrovertibly, a success.

adjective

(of a person or action) innocent and unsuspecting.

Usage examples:

He eyed her with wide, ingenuous eyes

adjective

Honest, sincere, and trusting, sometimes in a way that seems silly

Usage examples:

It has to be said it was rather ingenuous of him to ask a complete stranger to take care of his lug…

noun

(in south america) a treeless grassy plain.

Usage examples:

To find the snakes, he wades - barefoot - in the knee-deep water of the venezuelan llanos, the lowl…

noun

Low-lying country.

Usage examples:

Economic power gravitated towards the lowlands

noun

An area of land that is not very high above the sea or that is lower than most of the land around it

adjective

Clear or obvious to the eye or mind.

Usage examples:

Her manifest charm and proven ability

verb

Show (a quality or feeling) by one's acts or appearance; demonstrate.

Usage examples:

Lizzy manifested signs of severe depression

noun

A document listing a ship's contents, cargo, passengers, and crew, for the use of customs officers.

Usage examples:

If you're a customs inspector at a port of entry you can send photos of cargos and manifests back t…

noun

Land used for the cultivation of grass for hay.

Usage examples:

A large village in open meadowland

adjective

Unassuming in the estimation of one's abilities or achievements.

Usage examples:

He was a very modest man, refusing to take any credit for the enterprise

adjective

Not large in size or amount, or not great in value

Usage examples:

A modest increase in salary, a modest house, although an outstanding scientist, he’s a modest man.

adjective

Not large in size or amount, or not expensive

Usage examples:

Modest amount/budget/profit we have a fairly modest budget, considering our oil wealth., modest ris…

adjective

Easily seen or noticed; clear or apparent.

Usage examples:

A noticeable increase in staff motivation

adjective

Easy to see or recognize

Usage examples:

There’s a noticeable improvement in your grades., it’s gotten noticeably colder this week.

adjective

Able to be noticed or perceived; discernible.

Usage examples:

Observable differences

adjective

Able to be noticed

Usage examples:

There’s no observable connection between the two events.

adjective

Easily perceived or understood; clear, self-evident, or apparent.

Usage examples:

Unemployment has been the most obvious cost of the recession

adjective

Easily seen, recognized, or understood

Usage examples:

An obvious solution, for obvious reasons, he needs to find work soon.

adjective

With no special or distinctive features; normal.

Usage examples:

He sets out to depict ordinary people

noun

What is commonplace or standard.

Usage examples:

Their clichés were vested with enough emotion to elevate them above the ordinary

adjective

Not different, special, or unexpected in any way; usual

Usage examples:

His music was of the sort that ordinary americans could relate to., computers are now widely availa…

adjective

Complete; in all ways

Usage examples:

He’s an out-and-out fraud.

noun

Large treeless plains in south america.

Usage examples:

The southern pampas of argentina

noun

The large, flat areas of land covered in grass in parts of south america

noun

Land covered with grass and other low plants suitable for grazing animals, especially cattle or sheep.

Usage examples:

Areas of rich meadow pasture

verb

Put (animals) to graze in a pasture.

Usage examples:

They pastured their cows in the water meadow

noun

Land covered with grass or similar plants suitable for animals, such as cows and sheep, to eat

Usage examples:

[ c ] the best places to find bluebirds are open pastures.

noun

A government authority or licence conferring a right or title for a set period, especially the sole right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention.

Usage examples:

He took out a patent for an improved steam hammer

adjective

Easily recognizable; obvious.

Usage examples:

She was smiling with patent insincerity

Obtain a patent for (an invention).

Usage examples:

An invention is not your own until it is patented

adjective

That can be seen, heard, or noticed

Usage examples:

There are many people for whom these distinctions are hardly perceivable., there was no perceivable…

adjective

(especially of a slight movement or change of state) able to be seen or noticed.

Usage examples:

A perceptible decline in public confidence

adjective

That can be seen, heard, felt, tasted, smelled, or noticed

Usage examples:

His pulse was barely perceptible (= difficult to feel) upon arrival at the hospital.

verb

Measure (the depth of a body of water).

Usage examples:

I plumbed the depth and found the bottom of the shelf to be seven metres down

noun

A ball of lead or other heavy object attached to the end of a line for finding the depth of water or determining the vertical on an upright surface.

Usage examples:

He traces a line in white paint along the wall beyond the leaves, then drops a plumb from a cord st…

adverb

Exactly.

Usage examples:

Trading opportunities plumb in the centre of central europe

adverb

In a positive way, especially by expressing optimism, agreement, or acceptance.

Usage examples:

The negotiations started positively, with agreement on several issues

noun

A large open area of grassland, especially in north america.

Usage examples:

With these they are able to dramatise plains, prairies, steppes and meadows.

noun

A wide area of flat land, covered with grass, esp. a large area in central north america that was originally covered by grass and is now mainly farming land

adverb

To a profound extent; extremely.

Usage examples:

A profoundly disturbing experience

adverb

In a way that has a strong effect; extremely

Usage examples:

The operation can profoundly improve patients' lives.

adjective

Not mixed or adulterated with any other substance or material.

Usage examples:

Cars can run on pure alcohol

adjective

Not mixed with anything else

Usage examples:

The scarf is pure silk., it was a moment of pure joy., the mountain air was fresh and pure (= not p…

noun

A position in the hierarchy of the armed forces.

Usage examples:

An army officer of high rank

verb

Give (someone or something) a rank or place within a grading system.

Usage examples:

Students ranked the samples in order of preference

adjective

(of vegetation) growing too thickly and coarsely.

Usage examples:

Clumps of rank grass

adverb

In actual fact, as opposed to what is said or imagined to be true or possible.

Usage examples:

So what really happened?

exclamation

Used to express interest, surprise, or doubt.

Usage examples:

‘i've been working hard.’ ‘really?’

adjective

Able to be recognized or identified from previous encounters or knowledge.

Usage examples:

There was no recognizable photograph of him

adjective

Familiar because of having been seen or experienced before

Usage examples:

The cartoon character was instantly recognizable to millions of children.

noun

A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees.

Usage examples:

The lowlands include savannas, swamps, tropical rainforests, and semi-deserts.

proper noun

A port in georgia, just south of the border with south carolina, on the savannah river close to its outlet on the atlantic; population 132,410 (est. 2008).

noun

A large, flat area of land covered with grass, usually with few trees, that is found in hot countries, especially in africa

adjective

(of something bad or undesirable) very great; intense.

Usage examples:

A severe shortage of technicians

adjective

Causing great pain, difficulty, damage, etc.; very serious

Usage examples:

A severe earthquake, the family faced severe challenges when he lost his job., severe criticism

adjective

Nothing other than; unmitigated (used for emphasis).

Usage examples:

She giggled with sheer delight

adverb

Perpendicularly.

Usage examples:

The ridge fell sheer, in steep crags

noun

A very fine or diaphanous fabric or article.

Usage examples:

I put up the new curtains and sheers

adjective

Easily understood or done; presenting no difficulty.

Usage examples:

A simple solution

noun

A medicinal herb, or a medicine made from one.

Usage examples:

The gatherers of simples

exclamation

Of very low intelligence.

adverb

In a straightforward or plain manner.

Usage examples:

She spoke simply and from the heart

adverb

Just; only

Usage examples:

I simply don’t trust him., we simply go to camp, set it up, and spend the weekend., they voted not …

adjective

Free from pretence or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings.

Usage examples:

They offer their sincere thanks to paul

adjective

(esp. of feelings, beliefs, opinions, or intentions) honest; not false or invented

Usage examples:

Sincere modesty/belief/statement, more than sincere words of support, we need action., she spoke wi…

noun

A thick, strong pole such as is used for a mast or yard on a ship.

Usage examples:

The spars - those are those huge, diagonal sticks hanging from the masts - are the frame for the sa…

verb

Make the motions of boxing without landing heavy blows, as a form of training.

Usage examples:

One contestant broke his nose while sparring

noun

A period or bout of sparring.

Usage examples:

Maybe she could beat him in a spar match, but he wouldn't find out until the annual martial arts to…

adjective

Severe or bare in appearance or outline.

Usage examples:

The ridge formed a stark silhouette against the sky

adjective

Empty or without decoration

Usage examples:

Stark white walls, the dim halls made a stark contrast with the bright, sun-drenched apartment.

noun

A large area of flat unforested grassland in south-eastern europe or siberia.

Usage examples:

By the mid-sixteenth century crimea, the southern russian steppes, the kazakh steppes, and western …

noun

A large area of land with grass but no trees, especially in eastern europe, russia, and central asia

Usage examples:

These people have lived for centuries on the russian steppes.

adjective

Uncomplicated and easy to do or understand.

Usage examples:

In a straightforward case no fees will be charged

adjective

Easy to understand; clear

Usage examples:

The doctor explained the operation in straightforward english., she’s a straightforward, no-nonsens…

noun

A broad, high level region; a plateau.

Usage examples:

At its southern end, the terrain drops down to the santa rosa plateau, a 2,000-foot-high tableland …

adverb

In a thorough manner.

Usage examples:

He searched the house thoroughly

adverb

Completely; absolutely.

Usage examples:

The building was totally destroyed by the fire

adverb

Completely or extremely

Usage examples:

This book is totally different from her last one.

noun

A vast, flat, treeless arctic region of europe, asia, and north america in which the subsoil is permanently frozen.

Usage examples:

Tundra vegetation

adjective

Unpleasant or repulsive, especially in appearance.

Usage examples:

People in school always told me i was ugly

adjective

Not adorned; plain.

Usage examples:

It was very simple, its walls unadorned

adjective

Plain and simple, with little or no decoration

Usage examples:

Her unadorned beauty

adjective

Feeling or showing no effects or changes.

Usage examples:

The walks are suitable only for people who are unaffected by vertigo

adjective

Not influenced or changed in any way

Usage examples:

Internet access will be unaffected by the upgrade., her writing is very unaffected and easy to read.

adjective

Not pretentious or arrogant; modest.

Usage examples:

He was an unassuming and kindly man

adjective

Quiet and not attracting attention

Usage examples:

A shy and unassuming person, an unassuming little restaurant

adjective

Not pleasing or appealing to look at.

Usage examples:

An unattractive deep red brick

adjective

Ugly in appearance, or unpleasant in character

Usage examples:

An unattractive room, an unattractive personality

adjective

Not adorned or decorated.

Usage examples:

The walls were completely undecorated

adjective

An undecorated object or place has nothing added to make it more attractive

Usage examples:

She likes plain walls and altogether undecorated surfaces., undecorated pavlova can safely be left …

adverb

Used to emphasize that something cannot be denied or disputed.

Usage examples:

The results were undeniably impressive

adverb

In a way that is certainly true

Usage examples:

She is undeniably good at her job., he undeniably shares some of their views.

adjective

Not embellished or decorated.

Usage examples:

The unembellished truth

adjective

Not fussy.

Usage examples:

A simple unfussy design

adjective

Not attractive; ugly.

Usage examples:

Unlovely tower blocks

adjective

Not able to be mistaken for anything else; very distinctive.

Usage examples:

The unmistakable sound of his laughter

adjective

Not likely to be confused with something else; clearly recognized

Usage examples:

There was an unmistakable smell of chocolate.

adjective

Absolute; unqualified.

Usage examples:

The tour had been an unmitigated disaster

adjective

(esp. of something unpleasant or unsuccessful) complete

Usage examples:

Her new business proved to be an unmitigated disaster.

adjective

Not having any decoration.

Usage examples:

An unornamented two-storey building

adjective

Not decorated with any ornament (= a decoration that is added to something to make it more beautiful)

Usage examples:

She wore a stately, unornamented red gown with a loose gold sash., the company's office was located…

adjective

Not ostentatious.

Usage examples:

He was generous in a quiet, unostentatious way

adjective

Not attractive or appealing to the eye.

Usage examples:

Despite his unprepossessing appearance he had an animal magnetism

adjective

Not interesting, attractive, or impressive

Usage examples:

We were disappointed at the unprepossessing exterior of the hotel.

adjective

Not attempting to impress others with an appearance of greater importance, talent, or culture than is actually possessed.

Usage examples:

A friendly and unpretentious hotel

adjective

Simple and/or sincere; not pretentious

Usage examples:

The food is delicious and unpretentious.

adverb

In a way that cannot be disputed or doubted; without question.

Usage examples:

The awards were unquestionably deserved

adverb

In a way that is obvious and impossible to doubt

Usage examples:

She is unquestionably good at physics., the operation has unquestionably improved the wellbeing of …

adjective

Lacking refined worldly knowledge or tastes.

Usage examples:

An unsophisticated young man

adjective

Not complicated, not educated, or without a good understanding of culture

Usage examples:

He’s an unsophisticated man, but he has been very successful in business.

adverb

Completely and without qualification; absolutely.

Usage examples:

He looked utterly ridiculous

adverb

Completely or extremely

Usage examples:

What an utterly stupid thing to do!, she was utterly devastated when her husband died.

noun

(in spain and spanish america) a large grassy plain or valley.

Usage examples:

The fertile, irrigated vega to the west provided the caliphs with a lavish table.

proper noun

The fifth-brightest star in the sky, and the brightest in the constellation lyra, overhead in summer to observers in the northern hemisphere.

noun

Open, uncultivated country or grassland in southern africa. it is conventionally divided by altitude into highveld, middleveld, and lowveld.

Usage examples:

South africa's eastern coastal zone has relatively high rainfall, but the western veld tapers into …

adjective

Able to be seen.

Usage examples:

The church spire is visible from miles away

noun

Visible imports or exports.

Usage examples:

Half british exports (visibles and invisibles) are directed outside the eu and the financial relati…