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
Relevance
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
-
And while that was certainly true this year, the real winners in a lot of ways were the new additions to the guitar amplifier world.—
Josh Chesler,
SPIN,
29 Jan. 2025 -
But his educational background in politics and Hellenic studies is certainly out of the ordinary.—
Michael S. Lubell,
Scientific American,
29 Jan. 2025
Adverb
-
Yet, while organizational leaders may sincerely pursue tangible improvements across the DEI spectrum, these efforts often turn up short, regrettably failing to move the needle.—
Charlotte Sweeney OBE,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
-
Sting sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience and extends his gratitude to the fans for their understanding.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
Fox News,
22 Jan. 2025
Adverb
-
If he wasn't universally considered a star before fight night, Hughes surely is now.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Over its multi-year run as part of NBC’s Dateline franchise, To Catch a Predator wasn’t impervious to criticism or lawsuits, but it was surely insulated.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
26 Jan. 2025
Adverb
-
But amid the bickering, there have been myriad spotlight moments – some controversial, some amusing and some just plain bizarre – worth revisiting.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA TODAY,
26 Jan. 2025
-
You were plain spoken when Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, who had been convicted of multiple crimes.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2025
Adverb
-
There was definitely an element of big brother-little brother to their relationship, with Bowden always pushing up against the limits of Freeman and the school.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2025
-
Your officiant should definitely know, and the chance of someone hearing about it through the grapevine is fairly high.—
Erin Clack,
People.com,
27 Jan. 2025
Adverb
-
Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism.—
Erin Keller,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
-
Therefore, rather than waiting to see the final product, the client is able to see the path to success more clearly with tangible achievements at every stage.—
Farzana Abdulhusein,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Adverb
-
Quite honestly, pitting the two of them against each other next makes sense.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
-
Iannucci comes honestly to his cynicism about those in power.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
8 Jan. 2025
Adverb
-
While Ben couldn't come to Chicago, Mrs. Johnson sure could.—
Kevin Fishbain,
The Athletic,
21 Jan. 2025
-
Pro baseball scouts sure liked it, because some 40 of them showed up Saturday morning to watch Corona vs. Oaks Christian.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2025
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.
Thesaurus Entries Near plainly
Cite this Entry
“Plainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plainly. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share