sim·ple
(sĭm′pəl)adj. sim·pler, sim·plest
1.
a. Having few parts or features; not complicated or elaborate: a house with a simple floor plan.
b. Easy to understand, do, or carry out: a simple set of instructions; a simple chore. See Synonyms at easy.
c. Having or composed of only one thing, element, or part: a simple chemical substance.
d. Being without additions or modifications; mere: a simple "yes" or "no."
e. Biology Having no divisions or branches; not compound: a simple leaf; a simple eye or lens.
f. Music Being without figuration or elaboration: a simple tone.
2.
a. Having little or no ornamentation; not embellished or adorned: a simple dress. See Synonyms at plain.
b. Not characterized by luxury or elaborate commitments: simple living.
3.
a. Not pretentious, guileful, or deceitful; humble or sincere: a simple child; told us about his achievement in the simplest manner.
b. Having or showing little intelligence, education, or experience: simple people who have trouble understanding health regulations. See Synonyms at naive.
c. Lowly in condition or rank: a simple woodcutter.
n. Archaic
A medicinal plant or the medicine obtained from it.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin simplus; see sem- in Indo-European roots and from simplex; see simplex.]
sim′ple·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
simple
(ˈsɪmpəl)adj
1. not involved or complicated; easy to understand or do: a simple problem.
2. plain; unadorned: a simple dress.
3. consisting of one element or part only; not combined or complex: a simple mechanism.
4. unaffected or unpretentious: although he became famous, he remained a simple and well-liked man.
5. not guileful; sincere; frank: her simple explanation was readily accepted.
6. of humble condition or rank: the peasant was of simple birth.
7. weak in intelligence; feeble-minded
8. (prenominal) without additions or modifications; mere: the witness told the simple truth.
9. (prenomina) ordinary or straightforward: a simple case of mumps.
10. (Chemistry) chem (of a substance or material) consisting of only one chemical compound rather than a mixture of compounds
11. (Mathematics) maths
a. (of a fraction) containing only integers
b. (of an equation) containing variables to the first power only; linear
c. (of a root of an equation) occurring only once; not multiple
12. (Biology) biology
a. not divided into parts: a simple leaf; a simple eye.
b. formed from only one ovary: simple fruit.
13. (Music, other) music relating to or denoting a time where the number of beats per bar may be two, three, or four
n
14. a simpleton; fool
15. (Pharmacology) a plant, esp a herbaceous plant, having medicinal properties
[C13: via Old French from Latin simplex plain]
ˈsimpleness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
sim•ple
(ˈsɪm pəl)adj. -pler, -plest,
n. adj.
1. easy to understand or deal with.
2. not elaborate or complicated; plain; unembellished: a simple design.
3. not ornate or luxurious; unadorned: a simple dress.
4. unaffected; unassuming; modest.
5. occurring or considered alone; mere; bare: the simple truth.
6. free of deceit or guile; sincere; artless.
7. common or ordinary: a simple soldier.
8. not grand or sophisticated; unpretentious: simple tastes.
9. humble or lowly: simple folk.
10. unlearned; ignorant.
11. lacking mental acuteness or sense.
12. naive; credulous.
13. mentally deficient; simpleminded.
14. Chem.
a. composed of only one substance or element: a simple substance.
b. not mixed.
15. Bot. not divided into parts: a simple leaf.
16. Zool. not compound: a simple ascidian.
17. Music. uncompounded or without overtones; single: a simple tone.
18.
a. (of a subject or predicate) having only the head without modifying elements included. Compare complete (def. 5).
b. (of a verb tense) consisting of a main verb with no auxiliaries, as takes (simple present) or stood (simple past) (opposed to compound).
19. Math. linear (def. 7).
20. (of a lens) having two optical surfaces only.
n. 21. an ignorant, foolish, or gullible person.
22. something simple, unmixed, or uncompounded.
23. a person of humble origins; commoner.
24. an herb or other plant used for medicinal purposes: country simples.
[1175–1225; < Old French < Late Latin simplus simple = Latin sim- one + -plus, as in duplus duple (see -fold)]
sim′ple•ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. | simple - any herbaceous plant having medicinal properties archaicism, archaism - the use of an archaic expression herb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests |
| 2. | simple - a person lacking intelligence or common sense individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" airhead - a flighty scatterbrained simpleton; "she's a total airhead"; "every airhead on a big salary rushed out to buy one" dingbat - a silly empty-headed person; "you would be a dingbat even to try it"; "yet here he was with an upper class dingbat who just happened to be married to his sister" idiot savant - person who is mentally retarded in general but who displays remarkable aptitude in some limited field (usually involving memory) nincompoop, ninny - a stupid foolish person forgetful person, scatterbrain - a flighty and disorganized person schnook, shnook - (Yiddish) a gullible simpleton more to be pitied than despised; "don't be such an apologetic shnook" sheep - a timid defenseless simpleton who is readily preyed upon space cadet - someone who seems unable to respond appropriately to reality (as if under the influence of some narcotic drug) dolt, dullard, pillock, poor fish, pudden-head, pudding head, stupe, stupid, stupid person - a person who is not very bright; "The economy, stupid!" subnormal - a person of less than normal intelligence | |
| Adj. | 1. | simple - having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved; "a simple problem"; "simple mechanisms"; "a simple design"; "a simple substance" easy - posing no difficulty; requiring little effort; "an easy job"; "an easy problem"; "an easy victory"; "the house is easy to heat"; "satisfied with easy answers"; "took the easy way out of his dilemma" plain - not elaborate or elaborated; simple; "plain food"; "stuck to the plain facts"; "a plain blue suit"; "a plain rectangular brick building" unsubdivided, simple - (botany) of leaf shapes; of leaves having no divisions or subdivisions complex - complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts; "a complex set of variations based on a simple folk melody"; "a complex mass of diverse laws and customs" |
| 2. |  simple - easy and not involved or complicated; "an elementary problem in statistics"; "elementary, my dear Watson"; "a simple game"; "found an uncomplicated solution to the problem"easy - posing no difficulty; requiring little effort; "an easy job"; "an easy problem"; "an easy victory"; "the house is easy to heat"; "satisfied with easy answers"; "took the easy way out of his dilemma" | |
| 3. | simple - apart from anything else; without additions or modifications; "only the bare facts"; "shocked by the mere idea"; "the simple passage of time was enough"; "the simple truth" plain - not elaborate or elaborated; simple; "plain food"; "stuck to the plain facts"; "a plain blue suit"; "a plain rectangular brick building" | |
| 4. | simple - exhibiting childlike simplicity and credulity; "childlike trust"; "dewy-eyed innocence"; "listened in round-eyed wonder" | |
| 5. | simple - lacking mental capacity and subtlety | |
| 6. |  simple - (botany) of leaf shapes; of leaves having no divisions or subdivisionssimple - having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved; "a simple problem"; "simple mechanisms"; "a simple design"; "a simple substance" smooth - of the margin of a leaf shape; not broken up into teeth compound - composed of more than one part; "compound leaves are composed of several lobes; "compound flower heads" | |
| 7. | simple - unornamented; "a simple country schoolhouse"; "her black dress--simple to austerity" plain - not elaborate or elaborated; simple; "plain food"; "stuck to the plain facts"; "a plain blue suit"; "a plain rectangular brick building" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
simple
adjective
1. uncomplicated, clear, plain, understandable, coherent, lucid, recognizable, unambiguous, comprehensible, intelligible, uninvolved simple pictures and diagrams
uncomplicated involved, difficult, complex, complicated, advanced, sophisticated, elaborate, refined, intricate, convoluted, highly developed
uncomplicated involved, difficult, complex, complicated, advanced, sophisticated, elaborate, refined, intricate, convoluted, highly developed
2. easy, straightforward, not difficult, light, elementary, manageable, effortless, painless, uncomplicated, undemanding, easy-peasy (slang) The job itself had been simple enough.
3. plain, natural, basic, classic, severe, Spartan, uncluttered, unadorned, unfussy, unembellished She's shunned Armani for a simple blouse and jeans.
plain elaborate, intricate, ornate, fussy, contrived
plain elaborate, intricate, ornate, fussy, contrived
5. artless, innocent, naive, natural, frank, green, sincere, simplistic, unaffected, childlike, unpretentious, unsophisticated, ingenuous, guileless He was as simple as a child.
artless worldly, smart, sophisticated, artful, worldly-wise
artless worldly, smart, sophisticated, artful, worldly-wise
6. unpretentious, modest, humble, homely, lowly, rustic, uncluttered, unfussy, unembellished It was a simple home.
unpretentious fancy, extravagant, flashy
unpretentious fancy, extravagant, flashy
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
simple
adjective1. Free from extraneous elements:
2. Posing no difficulty:
Informal: snap.
Idioms: easy as ABC, easy as falling off a log, easy as one-two-three, easy as pie, like taking candy from a baby, nothing to it.
4. Not elaborate or showy, as in appearance or style:
5. Having only a limited ability to learn and understand:
Informal: soft.
6. Free from guile, cunning, or deceit:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
بَسيطبَسِيطساذِج العَقْل، بَسيطساذِج، بَسيطلَيْس مُعَقَّدا
прост
jednoduchýlehkýnaivníprostoduchýprostý
enkelenklegodtroendeletnaiv
simpla
yksinkertainen
jednostavan
egyszerű
einfaldureinfaldur, auîskilinneinfaldur, auîtrúaeinfaldur, vitgrannurlátlaus
簡単な
단순한
simplex
lengvesnisne itin protingassupaprastinimassupaprastintassupaprastintas dalykas
lētticīgsnaivsne visai gudrsskaidrstīrs
simplu
enostavennesestavljenpreprost
enkel
ง่าย
dễ hiểu
simple
[ˈsɪmpl]A. ADJ (simpler (compar) (simplest (superl)))
1. (= uncomplicated) [problem, idea, task] → sencillo, simple
there is no simple answer → no existe una respuesta sencilla
nothing could be simpler → no hay nada más simple
it's as simple as that → la cosa es así de sencilla
it's not as simple as you think → no es tan sencillo como piensas
it should be a simple enough job → no debería ser un trabajo difícil
keep it simple → no lo compliques
in simple terms → en lenguaje sencillo
the simplest thing would be to phone → lo más sencillo sería llamar por teléfono
to be simple to make/use → ser sencillo de hacer/usar
there is no simple answer → no existe una respuesta sencilla
nothing could be simpler → no hay nada más simple
it's as simple as that → la cosa es así de sencilla
it's not as simple as you think → no es tan sencillo como piensas
it should be a simple enough job → no debería ser un trabajo difícil
keep it simple → no lo compliques
in simple terms → en lenguaje sencillo
the simplest thing would be to phone → lo más sencillo sería llamar por teléfono
to be simple to make/use → ser sencillo de hacer/usar
2. (= mere) → simple
a simple phone call could win you a week's holiday in Florida → con una simple llamada de teléfono podría ganar una semana de vacaciones en Florida
by the simple fact that → por el simple hecho de que ...
to be a simple matter of doing sth → ser simplemente una cuestión de hacer algo
a simple phone call could win you a week's holiday in Florida → con una simple llamada de teléfono podría ganar una semana de vacaciones en Florida
by the simple fact that → por el simple hecho de que ...
to be a simple matter of doing sth → ser simplemente una cuestión de hacer algo
3. (= elementary) → simple
a simple act of kindness → un simple acto de bondad
the simple fact is → la pura realidad es ...
for the simple reason that → por la simple razón de que ...
the simple truth → la pura verdad
see also pure A1
a simple act of kindness → un simple acto de bondad
the simple fact is → la pura realidad es ...
for the simple reason that → por la simple razón de que ...
the simple truth → la pura verdad
see also pure A1
4. (= not fussy) [dress, style, food] → sencillo
5. (= unsophisticated) [person, life, pleasures, pursuits] → sencillo
these are simple people → son gente sencilla
the simple things in or of life → las cosas sencillas de la vida
these are simple people → son gente sencilla
the simple things in or of life → las cosas sencillas de la vida
6. (= mentally retarded) → simple
7. (Chem, Bio, Bot, Med) → simple
8. (Gram) [sentence, tense] → simple
B. CPD simple division N → división f simple
simple equation N → ecuación f de primer grado
simple fraction N → fracción f simple
simple interest N → interés m simple
simple majority N (Pol) → mayoría f simple
Simple Simon N → tontorrón m, simplón m, alma m de cántaro (Sp)
simple tense N (Gram) → tiempo m simple
simple equation N → ecuación f de primer grado
simple fraction N → fracción f simple
simple interest N → interés m simple
simple majority N (Pol) → mayoría f simple
Simple Simon N → tontorrón m, simplón m, alma m de cántaro (Sp)
simple tense N (Gram) → tiempo m simple
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
simple
[ˈsɪmpəl] adj (= uncomplicated) [task, solution, question, instructions, method, diagram, advice] → simple
It's very simple → C'est très simple.
Wouldn't it be simpler to chop the tree down? → Cela ne serait pas plus simple d'abattre l'arbre?
It's very simple → C'est très simple.
Wouldn't it be simpler to chop the tree down? → Cela ne serait pas plus simple d'abattre l'arbre?
(= basic) [meal, clothes, lifestyle, accommodation, design, plan] → simple
He lives a simple life → Il mène une vie simple.
a simple black dress → une simple robe noire, une robe noire simple
He lives a simple life → Il mène une vie simple.
a simple black dress → une simple robe noire, une robe noire simple
(for emphasis) → simple before n
His refusal to talk was simple stubborness → Son refus de parler n'était que simple entêtement.
for the simple reason that ... → pour la simple raison que ...
the simple truth → la vérité pure et simple
His refusal to talk was simple stubborness → Son refus de parler n'était que simple entêtement.
for the simple reason that ... → pour la simple raison que ...
the simple truth → la vérité pure et simple
(GRAMMAR) [tense, sentence] → simplesimple interest n (MATHEMATICS, COMMERCE) → intérêts mpl simplessimple-minded [ˌsɪmpəlˈmaɪndɪd] adj → simplet(te), simple d'esprit
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
simple
adj (+er)
(= uncomplicated, easy) → einfach; the camcorder is simple to use → der Camcorder ist einfach zu bedienen; it’s as simple as ABC → es ist kinderleicht; “chemistry made simple” → „Chemie leicht gemacht“
(= plain, not elaborate) → einfach; decor, dress → schlicht, einfach; in simple terms → in einfachen Worten; in simple language → in einfacher Sprache; the simple fact or truth is … → es ist einfach so, dass …; the simple fact that … → die schlichte Tatsache, dass…; for the simple reason that … → aus dem einfachen or schlichten Grund, dass …; it’s a simple matter of money → es ist schlicht und einfach eine Frage des Geldes; it’s a simple matter of finding adequate finance → es geht ganz einfach darum, angemessene finanzielle Mittel zu finden
(= unsophisticated, unworldly) → einfach, schlicht; I’m a simple soul → ich bin ein einfacher Mensch; she likes the simple life → sie mag das einfache Leben or einen einfachen Lebensstil; the simple things in or of life → die einfachen Dinge des Lebens or im Leben
(= foolish, mentally deficient) → einfältig
simple
:simple contract
n (Jur) → formloser Vertrag
simple interest
n (Fin) → Kapitalzinsen pl
simple-minded
adj → einfältig
simple-mindedness
n → Einfältigkeit f, → Einfalt f
Simple Simon
n (= simpleton) → Einfaltspinsel m (inf pej)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
simple
[ˈsɪmpl] adj (-r (comp) (-est (superl))) (gen) → semplice; (foolish) → sempliciotto/a, sprovveduto/ato make simple(r) → semplificare
it's as simple as ABC → è come bere un bicchier d'acqua
to make it simple for you ... → per semplificarti le cose...
the simple truth → la pura verità
in simple terms, in simple English → in parole povere
for the simple reason that ... → per il semplice motivo che...
simple equation (Math) → equazione f di primo grado
a simple Simon → un(a) sempliciotto/a
he's a bit simple (fam, euph) (mentally impaired) → è poco sveglio
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
simple
(ˈsimpl) adjective1. not difficult; easy. a simple task.
2. not complicated or involved. The matter is not as simple as you think.
3. not fancy or unusual; plain. a simple dress/design; He leads a very simple life.
4. pure; mere. the simple truth.
5. trusting and easily cheated. She is too simple to see through his lies.
6. weak in the mind; not very intelligent. I'm afraid he's a bit simple, but he's good with animals.
ˈsimpleton (-tən) noun a foolish person.
simplicity (simˈplisəti) noun the state of being simple. The beauty of this idea is its simplicity; He answered with a child's simplicity.
ˌsimplifiˈcation noun1. the process of making simpler.
2. something made simpler; a simpler form. The Americans have made some simplifications in English spelling.
ˈsimplified adjective made less difficult or complicated. simplified language/tasks.
ˈsimplify (-plifai) verb to make simpler. Can you simplify your language a little?
ˈsimply adverb1. only. I do it simply for the money.
2. absolutely. simply beautiful.
3. in a simple manner. She was always very simply dressed.
ˌsimple-ˈminded adjective of low intelligence; stupid.
ˌsimple-ˈmindedness nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
simple
→ بَسِيط jednoduchý simpel einfach απλός simple yksinkertainen simple jednostavan semplice 簡単な 단순한 eenvoudig enkel prosty simples простой enkel ง่าย basit dễ hiểu 简单的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
sim·ple
a. simple, sencillo-a;
adv. simplemente, meramente.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012