plainly C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈpleɪnli/ UK /ˈpleɪnli/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv clearly and unmistakably; in a simple, frank manner He spoke plainly, leaving no room for misinterpretation. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · clearly and unmistakably;... clearlyevidentlyobviouslyfranklysimplycandidlydistinctlymanifestly ↔ Opposites ambiguouslyobscurelyelaborately Word family Related forms plainplainness Etymology AI details From Middle English playnly, from plain (from Old French plain, Latin planus 'flat, clear') + -ly. plain Old French planus Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # plainly **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈpleɪnli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈpleɪnli/ ## Meanings 1. clearly and unmistakably; in a simple, frank manner ## Examples - He spoke plainly, leaving no room for misinterpretation. ## Synonyms - clearly - evidently - obviously - frankly - simply - candidly - distinctly - manifestly ## Antonyms - ambiguously - obscurely - elaborately ## Related Forms - plain - plainness ## Roots and Affixes - Root: plain - Root: planus ## Etymology From Middle English playnly, from plain (from Old French plain, Latin planus 'flat, clear') + -ly. ## AI Etymology Plainly comes from Middle English playnly, from plain (from Old French plain, Latin planus 'flat, clear') + -ly. The historical trail runs through Old French plain and Latin planus. Morphologically, the surface form is analyzable into prefixes, suffixes, compounds, or participial endings that carry part of the history. In modern use it means clearly and unmistakably; in a simple, frank manner. Related forms include plain, plainness. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown