simplistic
adjective
Harlow RobinsonMatt RidleyNaomi Rosenblum
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The facts of nature and of life are more apt to be complex than simple. Simplistic theories are generally one-sided and partial, wrote the American clergyman James Freeman Clarke in the 19th century, nicely illustrating the difference between plain, ordinary simple and the then-new adjective simplistic. Simplistic is generally synonymous with oversimplified, but we didn't have the verb oversimplify and its participle oversimplified until well into the 20th century. Simplistic is sometimes used in the neutral sense of "not complicated" (in which case it is synonymous with simple) but this borders on misuse-simplistic is generally understood to be pejorative.
Examples of simplistic in a Sentence
Nathan Vinson, People.com, 9 May 2025
Prevost appeared Thursday wearing a bright red shoulder cover and an ornate stole – in keeping with Catholic tradition but departing from the simplistic white that Francis wore onto the same balcony 12 years earlier.
—Eric Bradner, CNN Money, 9 May 2025
Understanding the future of the Catholic Church requires moving beyond the simplistic binaries of liberal versus conservative and recognizing the deeper theological and pastoral debates at play.
—Christopher Hale, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 May 2025
Behind the scenes, Saunders revealed, conversations among her Black peers had already begun about responsibility, how to ensure this moment doesn’t flatten a nuanced lineage into a single, simplistic aesthetic.
—Essence, 5 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Simplistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simplistic. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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simplistic
adjective
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