unvarnished

adjective

un·​var·​nished ˌən-ˈvär-nisht 

1

a

: not adorned or glossed : plain, straightforward

told the unvarnished truth

b

: artless, frank

the unvarnished candor of old people and children

—Janet Flanner

2

: not coated with or as if with varnish : crude, unfinished

Synonyms

• bald
• bare
• naked
• plain
• plain-vanilla
• simple
• unadorned
• undecorated
• unembellished
• unornamented

Examples of unvarnished in a Sentence

If you want my unvarnished opinion, the movie stinks.

I'm telling the unvarnished truth.

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, the joy of watching the series lies in the visitors’ authentic, unvarnished delight. —Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2025

There were plenty of unvarnished episodes, when nice would not cut it. —George Caulkin, The Athletic, 13 Mar. 2025

The leaks exposed to the world unvarnished secret assessments of the Russia-Ukraine war, including information about troop movements in Ukraine, and the provision of supplies and equipment to Ukrainian troops. —Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 10 Mar. 2025

Captured at the Paris home of Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing, the unvarnished and spontaneous images break Thursday on Balmain’s social channels. —Miles Socha, WWD, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for unvarnished

• garnished
• tarnished
• varnished
• untarnished

Kids Definition

unvarnished

adjective

un·​var·​nished ˌən-ˈvär-nisht 

ˈən-

1

: not adorned or exaggerated : plain

the unvarnished truth

2

: not varnished