definitions
  • synonyms

simplify

[ sim-pluh-fahy ]
/ ˈsɪm pləˌfaɪ /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR simplify ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), sim·pli·fied, sim·pli·fy·ing.

to make less complex or complicated; make plainer or easier: to simplify a problem.

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RELATED WORDS

facilitate, reduce, clarify, shorten, streamline, chasten, disentangle, abridge, explain, elucidate, decipher, analyze, order, interpret, unscramble

Nearby words

simplicidentate, simpliciter, simplicity, simplicius, simplification, simplify, simplism, simplistic, simplon, simplon pass, simply

Origin of simplify

1645–55; < French simplifier < Medieval Latin simplificāre to make simple, equivalent to Latin simpli- (combining form of simplus simple) + -ficāre -fy
Related forms
Can be confusedsimple simplified simplistic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for simplify

British Dictionary definitions for simplify

simplify

/ (ˈsɪmplɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

to make less complicated, clearer, or easier
maths to reduce (an equation, fraction, etc) to a simpler form by cancellation of common factors, regrouping of terms in the same variable, etc
Derived Formssimplification, nounsimplificative, adjectivesimplifier, noun

Word Origin for simplify

C17: via French from Medieval Latin simplificāre, from Latin simplus simple + facere to make
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

Word Origin and History for simplify

simplify

v.

1650s, from French simplifier "to make simpler" (15c.), from Medieval Latin simplificare "to simplify," from Latin simplex "simple" (see simplex) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Meaning "to make easier to do" is from 1759. Related: Simplified; simplifying.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper