simpleton
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of simpleton
Explanation
A simpleton is an idiot — a person without much common sense or intelligence. This is one of many words — such as moron, dummy, and dimwit — that insult a person's intelligence. A simpleton is the opposite of a genius. However, the word simple implies more than lack of intelligence; it suggests being innocent or naive too. So a simpleton could be considered a hillbilly or yokel as well as a dullard or dunce.
Vocabulary lists containing simpleton
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
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One for the Murphys
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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was a soldier simpleton who appeared in comic drawings about life in the army in the 1890s.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2024
And not in the simpleton type of way.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 26, 2023
As the simpleton Lymon, Fisher occasionally goes too hokey, especially when it comes to his Southern drawl, but is endearing nonetheless with his dopey physicality and witless expressions.
From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2022
He may have been seen as a visionary by a few, but many more dismissed him as a simpleton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2020
The former lord of Ashton Place seemed reduced to a muttering simpleton.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
