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

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

How to use simple in a sentence

Angry Birds at its simplest was the same way, though you wanted to watch things collapse and explode.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art | Alec Kubas-Meyer | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Methane (chemical formula CH4) is one of the simplest hydrocarbons, which literally means “containing hydrogen and carbon.”
Methane on Mars: Life or Just Gas? | Matthew R. Francis | December 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“Her paintings and paints in the palest colors, and simplest shapes, pretty much covered the studio,” Bradlee wrote.
The Bizarre Tale of Ben Bradlee, JFK, and the Master Spy | Will Rahn | October 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I began with the simplest cost I could think of, the fee for some routine blood work I had scheduled for later that month.
Despite ObamaCare, US Health System Still a Complete Mess | Molly Worthen | October 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It seems like the simplest way to use the data you collect about yourself is to present it in a kind of timeline.
The Best Quantified Self Site You Haven’t Heard Of | Jamie Todd Rubin | August 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

One of the simplest of these childish tricks is the invention of an excuse for not instantly obeying a command, as "Come here!"
Children's Ways | James Sully
Thus among the huge mass of accumulated commodities the simplest wants would go unsatisfied.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock
Even the simplest services are performed with an almost ludicrous waste of energy.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock
He had the military trick of putting an emphatic order in the fewest and simplest words.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
The simplest form was the Doublette sounding the 15th and 22nd (the double and treble octave) of the note struck.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing Miller

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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