plain Jane 1 of 2

plain-Jane

2 of 2

adjective

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 plain Jane
Noun
Jane starts off literally like plain Jane, very sweet and wholesome. EW.com, 25 Feb. 2025 If a plain Jane hamburger is your thing, go for it. Rasputin Todd, The Enquirer, 7 Sep. 2023 When designing the resume format, think plain Jane, noncreative style highlighting your skills and accomplishments. Robin Ryan, Forbes, 9 Nov. 2021 The sweet survey, which the food delivery company shared with Travel Leisure just in time for National Ice Cream Day on July 18, found those four flavors tied for the most popular — aside from plain Jane vanilla, which accounts for more than 26% of all ice cream sales in the United States. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2021 My family lived in this plain Jane development back in the late ’70s. Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2021 This means that even your plain Jane, vanilla cookie lover will enjoy this cookie as much as the anything-goes cookie enthusiast. Elizabeth Karmel, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2022 The relationship is actually quite a bit more plain Jane than a lot of other relationships in the show. David Viramontes, Los Angeles Times, 23 Nov. 2022 Peer through their five spokes, and the standard cast-iron rotors and black calipers look plain Jane to those used to slotted discs and colorful binders, but there's always Porsche's $8970 ceramic composite brake option. Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 6 Apr. 2022
Adjective
And while your Christmas tree might ordinarily be decked out with plain-Jane trimmings or classic tinsel, Walmart has the iconic Hallmark ornaments that will not only remind you of the good old days but spice up your decor. Megan Schaltegger, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Dec. 2024 The Romans christened it Insula Minor, Lesser Island, as if forever bequeathing it plain-Jane status next to Ibiza and Mallorca, its alluring Balearic sisters. Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plain Jane
Noun
  • Not Bridget Jones, freed from being an everywoman at last, and able to love herself.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
  • Bobbie adjusts to her new life as McEntire wields her grumbling everywoman sitcom humor once again.
    Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • With modest effort and our standard test parts, our system looks great all lit up (even with the plain, unlit fans on our 240mm CPU cooler).
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 1 Mar. 2025
  • My son didn’t want the standard plain vanilla suspended ceiling.
    Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Of course, the couture and Paris go hand in hand, so WWD Weekend also looks at a way even commoners can enjoy a feast meant for royalty thanks to Alain Ducasse, or the lucky can stay in the private apartment of one of the City of Light’s premier restaurants, La Tour d’Argent.
    James Fallon, WWD, 22 Feb. 2025
  • The study showed that the organization of the city suggested a distinctly communal atmosphere in which commoners and elite political decision-makers worked to expand and improve the city.
    Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Starbucks's Revolving Door Of CEOs Has Impacted Performance Starbucks’ management team has changed leadership four times in five years, leading to difficulty for the company to keep its typical strong financial performance year-over-year.
    Shelley E. Kohan, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
  • The drink resembles a typical chai, but the topping is where the drink gets its fruity flavor.
    Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The song, now considered a protest anthem, is about a social revolution in which French proletarians stand against the ruling class — in this case, an oppressive monarchy.
    Raven Brunner, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Later in the novel, Hans’s mind turns to the brutality of occupation: If in the course of a five-day plan, 200,000 Berliners were removed by 50,000, these 50,000 proletarians would be fused into a collective by the shock of having killed.
    Rumaan Alam, The New Republic, 21 June 2023
Adjective
  • There is no fruit more poetic than the homely apple: Horticulturally, an apple is a kind of pome.
    A.O. Scott, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Here too, a bench with drawers (like the one seen here from Reform) provides a practical and homely solution. 7.
    Katharina Schwarze, Architectural Digest, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Detective Filter’s department was involved in the recent identification of Pecan Valley John Doe — whose body had been found in December 2010 — as missing Tennessee State University student, Marcus Rutledge, who had been missing since June 1998.
    Veronica Fulton, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2025
  • The unknown person became known as Pecan Valley John Doe, who died of undetermined causes.
    Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The point is not to be lifelike or fact-based but familiar and formulaic—in a word, predictable.
    Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
  • The café’s influence is visible at Cora, where the menu includes both familiar and new items, such as a kinako twice-baked croissant and a miso chocolate dulce de leche cookie.
    Rachel King, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Plain Jane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plain%20Jane. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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