simple

[ sim-puhl ]

/ ˈsɪm pəl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR simple 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 7).

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

1175–1225; (adj.) Middle English < Old French < Late Latin simplus simple, Latin (in simpla pecunia simple fee or sum), equivalent to sim- one (see simplex) + -plus, as in duplus duple, double (see -fold); cognate with Greek háplos (see haplo-); (noun) Middle English: commoner, derivative of the adj.

SYNONYMS 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

synonym study for simple

10. See homely.

words often confused with simple

See simplistic.

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 (see confusables note at simplistic)

Words nearby simple

simony, simoom, simp, simpatico, simper, simple, simple absence, simple algebraic extension, simple arc, simple carbohydrate, simple closed curve

Example sentences from the Web for simplest

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 |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 |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 |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 |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 |DAILY BEAST
They were the quaintest and simplest and trustingest race; why, they were nothing but rabbits.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Complete |Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
The simplest is water; and water can purify many things; but there are some things which water cannot cleanse.

The Preacher and His Models |James Stalker
The first is the simplest, and only requires three principal actors, and this is still played in Oxfordshire.

A Righte Merrie Christmasse |John Ashton
The unity of type in past and present ages of certain great divisions thus undoubtedly receives the simplest explanation.

The Foundations of the Origin of Species |Charles Darwin
In spinning, the simplest form of the spindle—a slender stick thrust through the center of a round wooden disk—is used.

Navajo weavers |Washington Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for simplest

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 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

Idioms and Phrases with simplest

simple

see pure and simple.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

simple

adjective, sim·pler, sim·plest.

noun

Origin of simple

SYNONYMS FOR simple

synonym study for simple

words often confused with simple

OTHER WORDS FROM simple

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH simple

Words nearby simple

Example sentences from the Web for simplest

British Dictionary definitions for simplest

adjective

noun archaic

Derived forms of simple

Word Origin for simple

Idioms and Phrases with simplest

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

simple

adjective, sim·pler, sim·plest.

noun

Origin of simple

SYNONYMS FOR simple

synonym study for simple

words often confused with simple

OTHER WORDS FROM simple

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH simple

Words nearby simple

Words related to simplest

Example sentences from the Web for simplest

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for simplest

adjective

noun archaic

Derived forms of simple

Word Origin for simple

Idioms and Phrases with simplest

British Dictionary definitions for simplest