HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
adj. plain·er, plain·est 1. Free from obstructions; open; clear: in plain view. 2. Obvious to the perception or mind; evident: make one's intention plain. See Synonyms at apparent. 3. a. Not elaborate or complicated; simple: plain food. b. Marked by little or no ornamentation or decoration: plain garb. c. Straightforward; frank or candid: plain talk. d. Not pretentious; unaffected. e. Lacking beauty or distinction: a plain face. 4. Not mixed with other substances; pure: plain water. 5. Common in rank or station; average; ordinary: a plain man. 6. Not dyed, twilled, or patterned: a plain fabric. 7. Sheer; utter; unqualified: plain stupidity. 8. Archaic Having no visible elevation or depression; flat; level. n. 1. a. often plains An extensive, level, usually treeless area of land. b. A broad level expanse, as a part of the sea floor or a lunar mare. 2. Something free of ornamentation or extraneous matter. adv. Informal Clearly; simply: plain stubborn. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin plānus; see pelə-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] plainly adv. plainness n. Synonyms: plain, modest, simple, unpretentious These adjectives mean not ornate, ostentatious, or showy: a plain hairstyle; a modest cottage; a simple dark suit; an unpretentious country church. Antonym: ornate |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
