simplify
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to make less complicated, clearer, or easier
-
maths to reduce (an equation, fraction, etc) to a simpler form by cancellation of common factors, regrouping of terms in the same variable, etc
Other Word Forms
- nonsimplification noun
- simplification noun
- simplificative adjective
- simplificator noun
- simplifier noun
- supersimplify verb (used with object)
- unsimplified adjective
- unsimplifying adjective
Etymology
Origin of simplify
First recorded in 1645–55; from French simplifier, from Medieval Latin simplificāre “to make simple,” equivalent to Latin simpli-, combining form of simplus simple + -ficāre -fy
Explanation
To simplify something is to make it less complex and easier to understand. When you simplify, you make things clearer. Since simple things have less parts or complexity, when you simplify, you're eliminating the clutter and reducing something to its essence. For example, if a speech is long and confusing, the person giving it might need to simplify their ideas: make them clearer. Teachers are good at simplifying; they take complex ideas and make them easier for students to understand. If you don't understand what someone is telling you, ask them to simplify it.
Vocabulary lists containing simplify
Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 8
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Algebra
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Algebra
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To simplify the problem, the researchers treated each robot as a basic unit with a small, adjustable amount of variation in its movement.
From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026
For a fragile Spurs side seemingly out of ideas, perhaps his choreographed style of play can simplify the decision-making process for players, and help them pick up the points they desperately need to survive.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
The expected tariff changes would come after months of deliberations inside the administration over how to rewrite steel and aluminum tariffs to simplify compliance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Some lines may be familiar: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”; “Our life is frittered away by detail ... simplify, simplify!”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
To simplify things, Apian treats this grid as if it were a flat surface, not a sphere.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
