Plain and Shocking

Plain

Plain adjective - Free from all additions or embellishment.

Shocking and plain are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Shocking" instead an adjective "Plain".

Nearby Words: plainly, plainness, plaint

Shocking

Shocking adjective - Causing a strong emotional reaction because of unexpectedness.

Plain and shocking are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Plain" instead an adjective "Shocking".

Nearby Words: shock, shocked, shockingly, shocker

Mutual synonyms

Both words in one sentence

  • Shrug Take A character is given a revelation, or sees/hears something, that is shocking, insulting, disturbing, outlandish, or just plain dumb.
    Source: Shrug Take
  • Visible Silence It's also used to express speechlessness at one's blatantly stupid, shocking, or just plain "witty" comment/message/post/reply, the equivalent of standing there with your mouth hanging open in amazement.
  • Film / Kingsman: The Secret Service Harry's muted horror at going on a murderous rampage against civilians, and Valentine's abrupt dispatch of him, is just plain shocking.
Cite this Source
Shocking and Plain. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/plain/shocking
Plain & Shocking. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/plain/shocking>.
Shocking or Plain. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/plain/shocking.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "plain" and "shocking" have occurred on timeline