unvarnished

[ uhn-vahr-nisht ]

adjective

1. plain; clear; straightforward; without vagueness or subterfuge; frank:

   the unvarnished truth.

   Synonyms: direct, candid, naked, bare

2. unfinished, as floors or furniture; not coated with or as if with varnish.

unvarnished

/ ʌnˈvɑːnɪʃt /

adjective

1. not elaborated upon or glossed; plain and direct

   the unvarnished truth

Word History and Origins

Origin of unvarnished¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; un- ¹ + varnish + -ed ³, -ed ²

Example Sentences

Obama, of course, insisted he wanted their independent, unvarnished judgments.

From The Daily Beast

Closest as in “closest to her heart,” or something clutched, or something unvarnished, artless, some plain truth?

From The Daily Beast

Of all the Gang of Eight senators, he was the most unvarnished in his advocacy and he has the most to lose.

From The Daily Beast

It serves the facts straight up; it is unvarnished, perhaps a little cold, and not very cheerful, but it is realistic.

From The Daily Beast

And plenty of people speak of this immigration and its supposed dangers as if these were unvarnished, unquestionable truths.

From The Daily Beast

But give me a comprehensive idea of the place, in your own inimitable unvarnished diction.

From Project Gutenberg

Some of these bald, unvarnished tales give a capital idea of the men who conquered the wilderness.

From Project Gutenberg

No; I only wish you to give me a perfectly unvarnished account.

From Project Gutenberg

He tells a plain, unvarnished tale, and the very truth of it makes for beauty.

From Project Gutenberg

In the cottage there were six tiny little bedrooms divided from one another by plain unvarnished partitions of pine.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• candid
• straightforward
• unadorned