no-brainer

American  

[noh-brey-ner] / ˈnoʊˈbreɪ nər /

noun

1. Informal. anything requiring little thought or effort; something easy or simple to understand or do.

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no-brainer British  

/ ˌnəʊˈbreɪnə /

noun

1. slang something which requires little or no mental effort

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no-brainer Cultural  

1. Something that is absurdly simple or easy and requires little thought: “Making pumpkin pie can be a no-brainer if you use frozen pastry and canned filling.”

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Etymology

Origin of no-brainer

First recorded in 1975–80

Explanation

An obvious conclusion or an easy decision is a no-brainer. Adding 2 + 2 is a no-brainer, and so is the decision to accept a generous scholarship. The informal no-brainer describes choices that are so clear they're hardly even choices: they require almost no thought, since one alternative is obviously better. Saying yes to the the prize of a trip for four to Disney World is a no-brainer, and when you're shopping for a new laptop, buying the one with more memory that's less expensive is a no-brainer. No-brainer stems from the idea that it doesn't take brains to make a decision so simple.

Example Sentences

Also a no-brainer for Nolan was his choice of Matt Damon, who’d had a key role in “Interstellar” and was hard-nosed master builder Gen. Leslie Groves in “Oppenheimer,” to play Odysseus.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026

If it’s 6%, then it’s a no-brainer to say you should consider at least bumping up your contributions by 1 percentage point so that you don’t leave free money on the table.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026

Readers embraced the novel, and its adaptation was a no-brainer for co-producers BBC and BritBox.

From Salon • Jun. 25, 2026

It’s also a no-brainer: Shareholders might wonder whether to wait and see what happens when a normal corporate savior shows up, but it’s almost always best to just sell your shares to Chad.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

For a side dish, sweet corn was a no-brainer.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• cakewalk
• cinch