Printer Friendly
The Free Dictionary
968,403,975 visitors served.
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

simplicity

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.03 sec.
sim·plic·i·ty  (sm-pls-t)
n. pl. sim·plic·i·ties
1. The property, condition, or quality of being simple or uncombined.
2. Absence of luxury or showiness; plainness.
3. Absence of affectation or pretense.
4.
a. Lack of sophistication or subtlety; naiveté.
b. Lack of good sense or intelligence; foolishness.
5.
a. Clarity of expression.
b. Austerity in embellishment.

[Middle English simplicite, from Old French, from Latin simplicits, from simplex, simplic-, simple; see sem-1 in Indo-European roots.]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.simplicity - the quality of being simple or uncompounded; "the simplicity of a crystal"
quality - an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; "the quality of mercy is not strained"--Shakespeare
complexity, complexness - the quality of being intricate and compounded; "he enjoyed the complexity of modern computers"
2.simplicity - a lack of penetration or subtlety; "they took advantage of her simplicity"
naiveness, naivete, naivety - lack of sophistication or worldliness
3.simplicity - absence of affectation or pretense
naturalness - the quality of being natural or based on natural principles; "he accepted the naturalness of death"; "the spontaneous naturalness of his manner"
4.simplicitysimplicity - freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort; "he rose through the ranks with apparent ease"; "they put it into containers for ease of transportation"; "the very easiness of the deed held her back"
effortlessness - the quality of requiring little effort; "such effortlessness is achieved only after hours of practice"
quality - an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; "the quality of mercy is not strained"--Shakespeare
5.simplicity - lack of ornamentation; "the room was simply decorated with great restraint"
plainness - the appearance of being plain and unpretentious

simplicity
noun 1. straightforwardness, ease, clarity, obviousness, easiness, clearness, absence of complications, elementariness << OPPOSITE complexity
noun 2. plainness, restraint, purity, clean lines, naturalness, lack of adornment << OPPOSITE elaborateness
Translations
Spanish simplicity [sɪmˈplɪsɪtɪ] nsencillez f (= foolishness); ingenuidad f
French simplicity [sɪmˈplɪsɪtɪ] simple nsimplicité f
German simplicity [sɪmˈplɪsɪtɪ] simple nEinfachheit f;
(of dress) → Schlichtheit f

Italian simplicity [sɪmˈplɪsɪtɪ] nsemplicità

?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
I will not destroy its simplicity or its significance by any attempt to quote.
Perceiving their simplicity, he cast down a huge log into the lake.
The nation itself, with all its so-called internal improvements, which, by the way are all external and superficial, is just such an unwieldy and overgrown establishment, cluttered with furniture and tripped up by its own traps, ruined by luxury and heedless expense, by want of calculation and a worthy aim, as the million households in the land; and the only cure for it, as for them, is in a rigid economy, a stern and more than Spartan simplicity of life and elevation of purpose.
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.