Plainly
Plainly adverb - In an honest and direct manner.
Usage example: you'll have to tell your relatives very plainly that you don't like perfume, or they'll keep giving it to you
Straightforward and plainly are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Straightforward" instead an adverb "Plainly".
Straightforward
Straightforward adverb - In an honest and direct manner.
Usage example: she finally told him straightforward that she wasn't interested in a date
Plainly and straightforward are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Plainly" instead an adverb "Straightforward".
Nearby Words: straightforwardly, straightforwardness
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
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Like everything dealing with the Endless, this is not as simple and straightforward as it appears (although he plainly doesn't think so).
Source: Comic Book / The Sandman - Perspective Flip: Kay, constantly described as an impolite coward by Malory, here is presented as straightforward and reasonable, while other knights (with possible exception of Mordred) are shown as either dishonest or plainly stupid.
Cite this Source
Straightforward and Plainly. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/plainly/straightforward
Plainly & Straightforward. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/plainly/straightforward>.
Straightforward or Plainly. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/plainly/straightforward.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "plainly" and "straightforward" have occurred on timeline