plain

/pleɪn/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: plainer · plainest · plains

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Simple, unaltered. — Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

đơn giản, không thay đổi

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

He was dressed simply in plain black clothes.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Simple, unaltered. — Of just one colour; lacking a pattern.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

của một màu; không có họa tiết

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

a plain pink polycotton skirt

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

Simply.

AdverbRegister: colloquial

Examples

It was just plain stupid.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

An expanse of land with relatively low relief and few trees, especially a grassy expanse.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

một vùng đất rộng với địa hình tương đối thấp và ít cây

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

Him the Ammonite / Worshipped in Rabba and her watery plain.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “plain” mean?

Simple, unaltered. — Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished.

Is “plain” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.