sim·ple (s m p l)adj. sim·pler, sim·plest 1. Having or composed of only one thing, element, or part. See Synonyms at pure. 2. Not involved or complicated; easy: a simple task. See Synonyms at easy. 3. Being without additions or modifications; mere: a simple "yes" or "no." 4. Having little or no ornamentation; not embellished or adorned: a simple dress. 5. Not elaborate, elegant, or luxurious. See Synonyms at plain. 6. Unassuming or unpretentious; not affected. 7. a. Having or manifesting little sense or intelligence. b. Uneducated; ignorant. c. Unworldly or unsophisticated. See Synonyms at naive. 8. Not guileful or deceitful; sincere. 9. Humble or lowly in condition or rank: a simple woodcutter. 10. Ordinary or common: a simple head cold. 11. a. Being a fundamental or rudimentary element; basic. b. Not important or significant; trivial. 12. Biology Having no divisions or branches; not compound: a simple leaf; a simple eye or lens. 13. Music Being without figuration or elaboration: a simple tone. n.1. A single component of a complex, especially one that is unanalyzable. 2. A fool; a simpleton. 3. A person of humble birth or condition. 4. A medicinal plant or the medicine obtained from it.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin simplus; see sem-1 in Indo-European roots and from simplex; see simplex.]
sim ple·ness n. |
simple Adjective 1. easy to understand or do: in simple English, simple exercises 2. plain and not elaborate: a simple red skirt, a simple answer 3. not combined or complex: simple diagnostic equipment 4. leading an uncomplicated life: I am a simple man myself 5. sincere or frank: a simple apology 6. of humble background: the simple country girl 7. Informal mentally retarded 8. straightforward: a simple matter of choice 9. Music denoting a time where the number of beats per bar may be two, three, or four [Latin simplex plain] simplicity n
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. | simple - any herbaceous plant having medicinal propertiesherb, 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 senseairhead - 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) 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) lame, square - someone who doesn't understand what is going on 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"naif, naive - marked by or showing unaffected simplicity and lack of guile or worldly experience; "a teenager's naive ignorance of life"; "the naive assumption that things can only get better"; "this naive simple creature with wide friendly eyes so eager to believe appearances" | | 5. | simple - lacking mental capacity and subtletyretarded - relatively slow in mental or emotional or physical development; "providing a secure and sometimes happy life for the retarded" | | 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" |
simple adjective 1. uncomplicated, clear, plain, understandable, coherent, lucid, recognizable, unambiguous, comprehensible, intelligible, uninvolved << OPPOSITE complicated adjective 2. easy, straightforward, not difficult, light, elementary, manageable, effortless, painless, uncomplicated, undemanding, easy-peasy ( slang) adjective 5. artless, innocent, naive, natural, frank, green, sincere, simplistic, unaffected, childlike, unpretentious, unsophisticated, ingenuous, guileless << OPPOSITE sophisticated
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