1
as in openly
in an honest and direct manner
you'll have to tell your relatives very plainly that you don't like perfume, or they'll keep giving it to you
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in certainly
without any question
your wife is plainly upset that you didn't invite her to the game with us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plainly
Adverb
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Well, it certainly would not have been launched without YouTube.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2025 -
Bugatti’s legacy has certainly been etched in history—and now it’s been sketched on the livery of a pint-sized ode to one of the marque’s iconic cars.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
6 Mar. 2025
Adverb
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Read the full Libra Daily Horoscope Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) Speak sincerely from the heart today.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2025
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Then the joke rounds yet another corner: Wood turns serious again, recalling how sincerely Deon thanked him in the greenroom, shaking his hand firmly and looking him right in the eye.—
Ismail Muhammad,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Adverb
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Collins’s search for his wife will surely play a major role, but can that take the form of a mystery that’s slowly unraveled over the course of a season?—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2025
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If President Trump thought a Nobel Peace Prize was in his future for brokering peace terms, the White House clash last week surely ended that hope.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2025
Adverb
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The bottom line: Just plain old milk is making a comeback in grocery stores and on social media.—
Erica Pandey,
Axios,
26 Feb. 2025
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Radar Reveals Ancient Shoreline On Mars Zhurong, part of China’s Tianwen-1 mission, landed in Utopia Planitia — a vast lava plain long suspected to have once been submerged under an ancient Martian ocean.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Adverb
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What started with an iced beverage (sort of butterscotch, sort of shortbread, definitely non-alcoholic) with the Wizarding World’s opening in 2010, now comes in frozen, hot and non-dairy varieties, plus there’s butterbeer fudge, potted cream and ice cream for sale.—
Dewayne Bevil,
Orlando Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2025
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Grant is definitely thrown, and Dina is scrambling to say her friends will more than make up for it.—
Ali Barthwell,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Adverb
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That message — telegraphed clearly for and about Hausmann-Stokes’ own platoon mates — comes through loud and clear.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
27 Feb. 2025
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But after the consumer staples sector began to improve earlier this month, the equal-weighted ratio also has now clearly turned lower.—
David Keller,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
Adverb
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The silky set-up was delivered by… honestly, who else would to be? Miami is suitably loaded with international stars eager to play alongside Messi.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
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Address their concerns openly and honestly, highlighting AI as a tool for empowerment, not replacement.—
Puneet Gaur,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Adverb
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Her Board of Governors Award from the ASC on February 22 sure had a valedictory feel to it.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
25 Feb. 2025
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And sure, some may call me dramatic and write this off as just a silly reality TV show about finding love sight unseen.—
Melanie Curry,
refinery29.com,
17 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Plainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plainly. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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