simpleton

[ sim-puhl-tuhn ]
See synonyms for simpleton on Thesaurus.com
nounSometimes Offensive.
  1. an ignorant, foolish, or silly person.

Origin of simpleton

1
First recorded in 1640–50; simple + -ton

Other words for simpleton

Words Nearby simpleton

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use simpleton in a sentence

  • Then he pinched Betsy's ear in his usual familiar fashion, saying as he did so, "Saucy simpleton!"

    Napoleon's Young Neighbor | Helen Leah Reed
  • Don't talk to me as if I were a simpleton—with your own false simplifications!

    The Tragic Muse | Henry James
  • And you ought to have kept me from making such a simpleton of myself, Edward.

    The Sleeping Car | William D. Howells
  • The credulous simpleton already saw himself beheaded and wept in anticipation over the fate of his family.

    The Reign of Greed | Jose Rizal

British Dictionary definitions for simpleton

simpleton

/ (ˈsɪmpəltən) /


noun
  1. a foolish or ignorant person

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