plainly

adverb

Definition of plainlynext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of plainly The new honest answer is what that telecom architect put plainly. — Chris Wade, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 The leaders of the AI revolution are telling us plainly that human skills will command a premium. — Dr. Alan Kadish, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026 The Legislature should say plainly that a building’s shape cannot be a separate environmental harm once its use and density have already passed full review. — Zack Defazio Farrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2026 Presidents often grew frustrated that America’s voice was not plainly on America’s side. — Marc Fisher, New Yorker, 30 July 2026 Name the conflict plainly, offer realistic timing, and protect the commitment that matters most today. — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 July 2026 Some of the immigrants wrote HELP in the windows of their cells, plainly visible to anyone walking along the street below. — Thomas Kennedy, Sun Sentinel, 26 July 2026 In Sinclair Lewis’s 1917 novel The Job, the heroine, Una, sees it all quite plainly. — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026 November 22 – December 21 A partnership breakthrough depends on saying the plain thing plainly. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plainly
  1. openly
  2. certainly
  3. sincerely
  4. surely
  5. plain
  6. definitely
  7. honestly
  8. clearly
Adverb
  • Wednesday’s hierarchy openly predicted bumps in the road and one of them was felt on August 1, a week before the first competitive game of the new season.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Saudi Arabia and Turkey — two nations that have been openly hostile toward one another for much of the last decade — pledged to go to war in each other’s defense.
    — Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of openly
Adverb
  • Scheffler certainly hasn't struggled to find consistency this season.
    — Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Things have certainly gone up a level, too, with her new punky cropped haircut.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of certainly
Adverb
  • Colquitt sincerely believes that her work can restore the dignity too often denied people in their last days.
    — John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
  • But the results and the action on the field were second to the experience for Baldwin, who was sincerely present in the moment during the two days of All-Star Game activities.
    — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of sincerely
Adverb
  • But with fewer midweek fixtures this season due to their failure to qualify for European football, Alonso’s setup is surely going to adapt depending on the opponents anyway.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Even the useless adults of The Shards would surely act quickly to arrest Robert with this much evidence.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of surely
Adverb
  • Sarah and Billo were plain-sailing people who didn’t pursue beauty or seek out texture, whereas Fanny was an exquisite snob without the circumstances to support such haughtiness.
    — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Further, the most recent version of a Flyers black sweater was just plain ugly.
    — The Athletic NHL Staff, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of plain
Adverb
  • But keeping their promotion rivals at bay most definitely was, Parkinson’s men conceding 24 times in those dozen games, 16 of which came on Welsh soil.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Blanco Gran Reserva Ask any collector about Spanish wines and the name Faustino will definitely come up in the conversation.
    — Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of definitely
Adverb
  • One of the strongest films of the year — in years, honestly — stars 2026 MVP Sandra Hüller as a 17th-century German soldier who’s survived a bullet to the face and disfigurement around the end of the Thirty Years War.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Utilize self-assessments to highlight contributions with concrete details and honestly address growth areas, demonstrating self-awareness.
    — Andy Molinsky, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of honestly
Adverb
  • This forced the material into a single-domain state that could be measured more clearly.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • This well-balanced and resilient Braves squad is clearly built for a deep postseason run.
    — Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of clearly

Browse Nearby Words

plain Janes
plainly
plainness
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Cite this Entry

“Plainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plainly. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of plainly for Spanish Speakers

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