unvarnished

adjective

un·​var·​nished ˌən-ˈvär-nisht How to pronounce unvarnished (audio)
1
a
: not adorned or glossed : plain, straightforward
told the unvarnished truth
b
: artless, frank
the unvarnished candor of old people and childrenJanet Flanner
2
: not coated with or as if with varnish : crude, unfinished

Examples of unvarnished in a Sentence

If you want my unvarnished opinion, the movie stinks. I'm telling the unvarnished truth.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After Tuesday’s morning skate, the Bruins’ captain, who’ll be be wearing Canada’s maple leaf again for the upcoming Four Nations tourney, delivered some unvarnished truths about the stark differences between international competition and All-Star games. Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 4 Feb. 2025 The Psychology Behind Why This Approach Fails A Leadership IQ study found that 63% of employees prefer to receive negative feedback as candid, unvarnished facts—without compliments attached. Mark Murphy, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025 Providing unvarnished truthful assessments is the job of the intelligence community. Mark S. Chandler, The Conversation, 7 Feb. 2025 The dictations began to coalesce into essays that combined tales of his former, able-bodied life with unvarnished assessments of his medical and mental conditions. Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unvarnished

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of unvarnished was in 1605

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Cite this Entry

“Unvarnished.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unvarnished. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

unvarnished

adjective
un·​var·​nished ˌən-ˈvär-nisht How to pronounce unvarnished (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not adorned or exaggerated : plain
the unvarnished truth
2
: not varnished
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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