simple

[ sim-puhl ]

/ ˈsɪm pəl /

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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.

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

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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.

words often confused with simple

See simplistic.

OTHER WORDS FROM simple

sim·ple·ness, nouno·ver·sim·ple, adjectiveo·ver·sim·ple·ness, nouno·ver·sim·p·ly, adverb

sub·sim·ple, adjectiveul·tra·sim·ple, adjectiveun·sim·ple, adjectiveun·sim·ple·ness, nounun·sim·p·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH simple

simple , simplified, simplistic

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

How to use simple in a sentence

Gillingham tells Mary that he wants to make their lives simpler, but it sounds a little like the dying of the light.
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means|Katie Baker|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The legal jungle must be bulldozed, and replaced by radically simpler framework of goals and principles.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He also has a propensity to use clanking words when he could have used simpler ones.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hitchcock had done simpler versions of things like that before sound.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

We see that he has not shed his desire to return to a simpler life.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero|Regina Lizik|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is simpler than having to cram and then stand the racket of a competitive examination.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various
If one could languish through life in the shell of a mere beauty that life would be a good deal simpler proposition than it is.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
The ideas are simpler, the numina seem less cold and more protective, the worshippers more sensible of divine aid.
The Religion of Ancient Rome|Cyril Bailey
This, as experience has shown, is a simpler way of effecting a policy of insurance.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
It is not strange, therefore, that among these churchmen there exists a demand for a simpler life.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy

British Dictionary definitions for simple

simple

/ (ˈsɪmpəl) /

adjective

not involved or complicated; easy to understand or doa simple problem

plain; unadorneda simple dress

consisting of one element or part only; not combined or complexa simple mechanism

unaffected or unpretentiousalthough he became famous, he remained a simple and well-liked man

not guileful; sincere; frankher simple explanation was readily accepted

of humble condition or rankthe peasant was of simple birth

weak in intelligence; feeble-minded

(prenominal) without additions or modifications; merethe witness told the simple truth

(prenomina) ordinary or straightforwarda 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 partsa simple leaf; a simple eye
formed from only one ovarysimple fruit

music relating to or denoting a time where the number of beats per bar may be two, three, or four

noun archaic

a simpleton; fool

a plant, esp a herbaceous plant, having medicinal properties

Derived forms of simple

simpleness, noun

Word Origin for simple

C13: via Old French from Latin simplex plain

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.

simple

OTHER WORDS FOR simple

Origin of simple

synonym study for simple

words often confused with simple

OTHER WORDS FROM simple

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH simple

Words related to simple

How to use simple in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for simple

Derived forms of simple

Word Origin for simple

Other Idioms and Phrases with simple