unvarnished en · ADJ
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English varnished English unvarnished From un- + varnished.
Meanings
-
(not-comparable) Not having been coated with varnish.
unvarnished furniture
-
(broadly, figuratively, not-comparable) Natural, unmodified, unembellished, not exaggerated.
She told the unvarnished truth.
The unprofessional production of the skits, shot on handheld digital video without the assistance of a 'steady cam' device, contributes to their unvarnished allure.
2008, Robert Sweeny, “This Performance Art Is for the Birds”, in Studies in Art Education, volume 49, page 138:There were no socialist countries or liberation movements to blame for World War I. It was a plain, unvarnished racist war for colonial empire.
2004 June 24, Leslie Feinberg, “'The war to end all wars'”, in Workers World:Boris Johnson the "ersatz Churchill" needed the real one to remain untouchable and unvarnished to serve his own narrative as his latter-day incarnation.
2021, Otto English, Fake History, page 35:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| unvarnisht | alternative, archaic | lexicographic |
Coordinates
unfinished · unpainted · uncoated · unplated
Deriveds
unvarnishedness · unvarnishedly
Synonyms
modest · austere · spartan · plain · unvarnished · simple · plain · undecked · ungarnished · quiet · unembellished · untrimmed · unextravagant · simple · unadorned · bare · inornate · severe · chaste · unornamented
Translations (5)
de unbehandelt (not having been coated with varnish) · gv lhome (natural, unmodified, unembellished, not exaggerated) · de ungeschminkt (natural, unmodified, unembellished, not exaggerated) · sv osminkad (natural, unmodified, unembellished, not exaggerated) · gv gyn follid (not having been coated with varnish)