plain

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

adj. simple, unornamented (see simpleness); homely (see ugliness). — n. prairie, tableland, steppe, savanna, tundra, heath, pampas, mesa, llana; meadow, pasture, field. See land, horizontal.Ant., fancy.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Obvious]

Syn. open, manifest, clear; see definite 1 , 2 , obvious 1 , 2 , understandable .

2. [Simple]

Syn. unadorned, unostentatious, unpretentious; see modest 2 .

3. [Ordinary]

Syn. everyday, average, commonplace; see common 1 , conventional 1 , 3 , dull 4 , traditional 2 .

4. [Homely]

Syn. plain-featured, coarse-featured, unattractive; see ugly 1 .

5. [In blunt language]

Syn. outspoken, candid, frank, plain-spoken, impolite; see also abrupt 2 , frank , rude 2 .

See Synonym Study at obvious . n.

Syn. prairie, steppe, pampas, champaign, reach, expanse, open country, lowland, flat, level land, mesa, savanna, llano, moorland, moor, heath, wold, steppe, tundra, playa, veldt, downs, peneplain, the High Plains; see also field 1 , meadow .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

level land, expanse, grassland, field, meadow, prairie, steppe, tundra, savannah, *land as flat and featureless as a Euclidian plane.

II

a.

1. clear evident, obvious, apparent, visible, transparent, open, unmistakable, distinct.

2. understandable simple, straightforward, clear.

3. straightforward honest, frank, blunt, undisguised, unvarnished, outspoken, forthright, direct.

4. un-embellished unadorned, undecorated, austere, stark, colorless, severe, simple, *no frills, bare, restrained, understated.

5. homely ugly, unattractive, *not much to look at, *short on looks.

ANT.: 1. unapparent, unclear, ambiguous. 2. indecipherable, incomprehensible. 3. disguised, indirect. 4. ostentatious, showy, colorful. 5. beautiful, attractive, pretty

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Readily seen, perceived, or understood: apparent, clear, clear-cut, crystal clear, distinct, evident, manifest, noticeable, observable, obvious, patent, pronounced, visible. See SEE. 2. Easily seen through due to a lack of subtlety: broad, clear, obvious, patent, unmistakable, unsubtle. See CLEAR, SEE. 3. Not elaborate or showy, as in appearance or style: modest, simple, unassuming, unostentatious, unpretentious. See PLAIN. 4. Without addition, decoration, or qualification: bald, bare, dry, simple, unadorned, unvarnished. See PLAIN. 5. Free from extraneous elements: absolute, perfect, pure, sheer2, simple, unadulterated, undiluted, unmixed. See CLEAN. 6. Not diluted or mixed with other substances: full-strength, neat, pure, straight, unblended, undiluted, unmixed. See CLEAN, STRONG. 7. Being of no special quality or type: average, common, commonplace, cut-and-dried, formulaic, garden, garden-variety, indifferent, mediocre, ordinary, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard, stock, undistinguished, unexceptional, unremarkable. See GOOD, USUAL. 8. Not handsome or beautiful: homely, unattractive, uncomely, unlovely. Idioms: not much for looks, not much to look at, short on looks. See BEAUTIFUL. 9. Completely such, without qualification or exception: absolute, all-out, arrant, complete, consummate, crashing, damned, dead, downright, flat, out-and-out, outright, perfect, pure, sheer2, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, unbounded, unequivocal, unlimited, unmitigated, unqualified, unrelieved, unreserved, utter2. Informal: flat-out, positive. Chiefly British: blooming. See BIG, LIMITED.