plainly
ˈpleɪnli
Definition Synonyms

Definition of plainly - Reverso English Dictionary

Adverb

1.
honestyin a direct and honest manner
  • She spoke plainly about her feelings.
candidly frankly
2.
clearlyin a clear and simple manner
  • She spoke plainly about her objections..
clearly evidently
Add a suggestion |

Expressions with plainly

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
in a simple and clear manner
Plainly speaking, the project is a failure.

Origin of plainly

Latin, planus (flat) + -ly (adverbial suffix)

Terms with plainly included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
clear evidence
plainly noticeable, easy to spot or understand
speech
plainly and without ambiguity
clearadv.
plainly
in a way that is easy to understand
plainly obvious
in a plain and obvious way
simplyadv.
plainly
in a plain and unadorned manner
food
uncooked or plainly cooked

Examples of plainly in a sentence

  • The witness plainly described what she saw.
  • He explained the rules plainly to everyone.
  • The instructions were written plainly for all to understand.

View all translations of plainly

Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:franchement, clairement, ...
  2. German:offen, deutlich, ...
  3. Italian:chiaramente, in modo chiaro, ...
  4. Spanish:claramente, de manera clara, ...
  5. Portuguese:honestamente, claramente, ...
  6. Chinese:直率地, 清楚地, ...
  7. Japanese:率直に, 明確に, ...
  8. Arabic:بِصَرَاحَةٍ, بِبَسَاطَة, ...
  9. Hebrew:בְּגָלוּי, בְּצוּרָה בְּרוּרָה, ...
  10. Russian:прямо, ясно, ...
  11. Ukrainian:відверто, чітко, ...
  12. Hindi:साफ़-साफ़, स्पष्ट रूप से, ...
Browse the dictionary entries starting with “p”:

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery