oversimplify

play

verb over·sim·pli·fy \ˌō-vər-ˈsim-plə-ˌfī\

Definition of oversimplify

transitive verb
: to simplify to such an extent as to bring about distortion, misunderstanding, or error
intransitive verb
: to engage in undue or extreme simplification

oversimplification

play \ˌō-vər-ˌsim-plə-fə-ˈkā-shən\ noun

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Examples of oversimplify in a Sentence

The article oversimplifies the problem.
She tends to oversimplify things.
We must resist the temptation to oversimplify.

Recent Examples of oversimplify from the Web

People tend to oversimplify why the gap exists, citing poverty or lack of parental involvement, when research shows there are many reasons the gap exists.

— trisha powell crain, AL.com, "Alabama teachers talk about the gap between white and black students," 5 July 2017
But even for the smaller group of 7 million people in the nongroup insurance market, Ryan’s answer oversimplifies the CBO message.

— jon greenberg, ajc, "Ryan leaves much out in describing report on Senate bill’s effect," 29 June 2017
But McDonnell was careful not to oversimplify the raw emotion that would overpower the players at such a storied event.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Lerner | Win or lose, the College World Series is an intoxicating experience," 24 June 2017
And in either election, there is also the risk of oversimplifying: Neither class or age will ever be the only conclusive factor in an election.

— adam taylor, Washington Post, "In 20 years, British politics went from being about class to being about age," 14 June 2017
But his clichéd life is rendered in clichés; his feral survivalism and his extended solitude are grossly oversimplified and underimagined.

— richard brody, The New Yorker, "Wakefield," 29 May 2017
Such comparisons oversimplify the staggeringly complicated organic systems that researchers are only beginning to glimpse.

— elmo keep, Smithsonian, "Can Human Mortality Really Be Hacked?," 24 May 2017
Water Mill, N.Y. The complex history of 20th-century American art, though still being written, is often oversimplified into a trajectory that has Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and company supplanting Picasso and Matisse, the...

— lance esplund, WSJ, "‘John Graham: Maverick Modernist’ Review: Among His Many Roles, an Artist," 17 May 2017
Water Mill, N.Y. The complex history of 20th-century American art, though still being written, is often oversimplified into a trajectory that has Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and company supplanting Picasso and Matisse, the...

— lance esplund, WSJ, "‘John Graham: Maverick Modernist’ Review: Among His Many Roles, an Artist," 17 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oversimplify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.