simple

[ sim-puhl ]

See synonyms for: simple simpler simplest simples on Thesaurus.com

adjective,sim·pler, sim·plest.

easy to understand, deal with, use, etc.: a simple matter;simple tools.
not elaborate or artificial; plain: a simple style.

not ornate or luxurious; unadorned: a simple gown.
unaffected; unassuming; modest: a simple manner.
not complicated: a simple design.
not complex or compound; single
occurring or considered alone; mere; bare: the simple truth;a simple fact.
free of deceit or guile; sincere; unconditional: a frank, simple answer.
common or ordinary: a simple soldier.
not grand or sophisticated; unpretentious: a simple way of life.
humble or lowly: simple folk.
inconsequential or rudimentary.
unlearned; ignorant.
lacking mental acuteness or sense: a simple way of thinking.
unsophisticated; naive; credulous.
simpleminded.
Chemistry.
- composed of only one substance or element: a simple substance.
- not mixed.
Botany. not divided into parts: a simple leaf;a simple stem.
Zoology. not compound: a simple ascidian.
Music. uncompounded or without overtones; single: simple tone.
Grammar. having only the head without modifying elements included: The simple subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “pony.”: Compare complete (def. 5).
(of a verb tense) consisting of a main verb with no auxiliaries, as takes (simple present) or stood (simple past) (opposed to compound).
Mathematics. linear (def. 8).
Optics. (of a lens) having two optical surfaces only.

noun

an ignorant, foolish, or gullible person.
something simple, unmixed, or uncompounded.

simples, Textiles. cords for controlling the warp threads in forming the shed on draw-looms.
a person of humble origins; commoner.
an herb or other plant used for medicinal purposes: country simples.

Origin of simple

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English adjective simple, simpel(le), from Old French simple, sinple, from Latin simplus “simple” (in simpla pecunia “simple fee or sum”), equivalent to sim- “one” + -plus, as in duplus “double”; Middle English noun “commoner,” derivative of the adjective; see simplex,duple, double; see also -fold; cognate with Greek háplos (see haplo-);

synonym study For simple

10. See homely.

confusables note For simple

See simplistic.

Other words for simple

1	clear, intelligible, understandable, unmistakable, lucid
2	natural, unembellished, neat
8	artless, guileless, ingenuous
12	trifling, trivial; nonessential, unnecessary
13	untutored, stupid

See synonyms for simple on Thesaurus.com

Other words from simple

sim·ple·ness, noun
o·ver·sim·ple, adjective
o·ver·sim·ple·ness, noun
o·ver·sim·p·ly, adverb
sub·sim·ple, adjective
ul·tra·sim·ple, adjective
un·sim·ple, adjective
un·sim·ple·ness, noun
un·sim·p·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with simple

simple , simplified, simplistic

Words Nearby simple

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use simple in a sentence

This will cost a little extra money, but there are several simple after-market modifications you can make to get the most out of your new 4x4.
Six ways to make your ATV even more rugged | By Tyler Freel/Outdoor Life | September 17, 2020 | Popular-Science
At Stanford, they were focused mostly on ethanol and methanol, which are simple liquid alcohols.
ClearFlame Engine Technologies takes aim at cleaning up diesel engines | Kirsten Korosec | September 17, 2020 | TechCrunch
You can take some simple steps now to make the voting process smoother.
ProPublica’s Pandemic Guide to Making Sure Your Vote Counts | by Susie Armitage | September 16, 2020 | ProPublica
So we felt that during a pandemic, the simplest version of a vaccine is the one that could reach billions of doses.
Synthetic biologists have created a slow-growing version of the coronavirus to give as a vaccine | David Rotman | September 16, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
Based on The Wall Street Journal’s reporting, it seems that Oracle may simple serve as the warehouse for TikTok’s domestic user data.
How the future of TV and streaming has – and hasn’t – been reshaped so far by 2020 | Tim Peterson | September 16, 2020 | Digiday

The simple, awful truth is that free speech has never been particularly popular in America.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech | Nick Gillespie | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The reason pilots would choose to use guns over a bomb or a missile is simple.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019 | Dave Majumdar | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Still, I worry that a simple traffic stop could have tragic consequences.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face? | Goldie Taylor | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“It is the hardest to play,” one of the buglers says of this seemingly simple tune.
Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos | Michael Daly | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The premise was simple: satire is devastating against tyrants.
The Sony Hack and America’s Craven Capitulation To Terror | David Keyes | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Smith's method usually gives good results, as does also the more simple method of Hiss (p. 263).
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
It was a mighty simple transaction, but it produced some startling results for me, that same coin-spinning.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
Let us look over these points again, and make the matter still clearer and more simple.
God and my Neighbour | Robert Blatchford
If I selected lucid and simple extracts, they would give no idea of the intricacy and prolixity of Duns.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II) | Henry Osborn Taylor
It has long since dismissed as too short and simple for its pages, the short and simple annals of the poor.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock

British Dictionary definitions for simple

simple

/ (ˈsɪmpəl) /

adjective

not involved or complicated; easy to understand or do: a simple problem
plain; unadorned: a simple dress

consisting of one element or part only; not combined or complex: a simple mechanism
unaffected or unpretentious: although he became famous, he remained a simple and well-liked man
not guileful; sincere; frank: her simple explanation was readily accepted
of humble condition or rank: the peasant was of simple birth
weak in intelligence; feeble-minded
(prenominal) without additions or modifications; mere: the witness told the simple truth
(prenomina) ordinary or straightforward: a simple case of mumps
chem (of a substance or material) consisting of only one chemical compound rather than a mixture of compounds
maths
- (of a fraction) containing only integers
- (of an equation) containing variables to the first power only; linear
- (of a root of an equation) occurring only once; not multiple
biology
- not divided into parts: a simple leaf; a simple eye
- formed from only one ovary: simple fruit
music relating to or denoting a time where the number of beats per bar may be two, three, or four

nounarchaic

a simpleton; fool
a plant, esp a herbaceous plant, having medicinal properties

Origin of simple

C13: via Old French from Latin simplex plain

Derived forms of simple

simpleness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with simple

simple

see pure and simple.

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