oversimple

Definition of oversimplenext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oversimple This oversimple model grants primacy based on authorship and chronology. Kevin Dettmar, The Atlantic, 1 July 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oversimple
Adjective
  • Jalen Brunson still remembers when a younger McBride chucked up a hasty 3-pointer and missed it.
    Fred Katz, New York Times, 12 May 2026
  • Reasonable minds can disagree, though, and cynicism seems hasty.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 9 May 2026
Adjective
  • Yet many of the investment deals on offer are sketchy and tenuously legitimate—the digital equivalent of a man in a trenchcoat offering his wares on the sidewalk.
    Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
  • Details of the incident were sketchy.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
Adjective
  • My general understanding of book clubs had, to that point, been cursory.
    Roxane Gay, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Even the most cursory tour of local highlights will take you from the 2,000-year-old remains of Emperor Tiberius's cliff-top Villa Jovis to the still-buzzing purveyor of Jackie Kennedy's iconic sandals—Canfora, which anchors the Via Camerelle luxury shopping corridor.
    Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Romano’s sturdy book may not stint on examples of Mary’s bad behavior—including a ferociously jealous verbal assault, near the end of the war, on the wife of a prominent Union general—but the biographer keeps tilting against those who slighted Mary in even the most superficial ways.
    Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
  • Then, let the paste sit for a few minutes before scrubbing away with a clean cloth to reveal like-new furniture with no superficial scratches.
    Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026
Adjective
  • Pittman and Bernard profile as good separators too, which should suit Rodgers' tendency to rely on the quick passing game to move the chains.
    Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 18 May 2026
  • Regardless of whether the topic is something small — a story from work, a passing thought, a joke — or something dire to the health of your relationship, the same principle should always apply.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Adjective
  • His songs can sound facile to my ear.
    David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
  • And many primers are unnecessarily facile.
    Mac Barnett, Longreads, 5 May 2026
Adjective
  • Both residents and tourists cruise around on single-speed bikes, parking them in haphazard piles to shop in luxury boutiques, visit the famous Sunday market for clothing and home goods, or grab a cappuccino in a glitzy café.
    Rebecca Rose, Travel + Leisure, 9 May 2026
  • San Diego isn’t effectively clearing flammable brush from private properties due to a haphazard inspection system that doesn’t include hefty fines and often fails to re-inspect properties deemed dangerous, a new city audit finds.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Adjective
  • The Tennessee Titans went back to the streets quizzing random people in their schedule reveal in a twist to the team’s 2023 schedule reveal.
    Teresa M. Walker, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2026
  • In 2019, Mohsin went to pick up his mother at her vegetable stand in Nyala, South Darfur, when armed men stormed the area and shot villagers at random.
    Annie Hylton, New Yorker, 14 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Oversimple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oversimple. Accessed 22 May. 2026.

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